NORTH OF EVERYTHING

There is a new television program called THE CRAFTSMAN, and it features Eric Hollenbeck, a master woodworker who has been honing his craft f...

Recently, in the novel I'm currently writing, I needed a song that a 12-year-old character could sing a cappella.  The words weren't...

There is no shortage of experts who will tell an author what the secret to financial success is in publishing.  Also, there is no limit to t...

I mean, what's left to write about this?  I suppose in many ways, it's like teaching the historical event of Washington crossing the...

It hasn't happened to me in quite some time, but I've had these experiences while writing.  The last one happened when I was working...

Everyone can write whatever they want. One might write for the pure enjoyment of writing, without any need for others to read it.  A writer ...

Many schools have become stuck in their writing instruction.  Students are graduating having written countless persuasive essays.  When it i...

I was once married to a brilliant singer, and while we were on our way from our apartment in Pacific Grove to Carmel-by-the-Sea, we were lis...

The image is the cover of a book I sold to my Dad in June 1975, shortly before I turned 7 years old.  I wrote and illustrated it, bound it (...

As I'm sure you've heard a million times, don't try to write what is selling.  By the time you're done, that fad might have ...

  My writing space.  I used to look directly over the monitor and into the yard, but I often had the sun in my face, etc.  It's got a do...

Sometimes writing workshops/seminars/whatevers sound like you've found yourself trapped in some hoity-toity cult of writers trying to so...

  So many people post complaints about other people's creative work, saying, "It's a pet-peeve when...." In this entry, I...

You know dialogue can be the favorite part of writing.  The pacing is swift, a lot of information and characterization can be delivered quic...

I'm not shy with my use of profanity.  There are times when I can prevent myself from using it, such as when I'm in a classroom, a j...

Twelve years ago, I began writing here, North of Everything, but it's been more than six years since I dusted this place off. I'm ba...

Young Adult fiction just kept coming up.  I don't mean the new book sales.  I don't mean one agent after another who said they were ...

I'm a teacher and a professor and I want to share something. I'm not blowing the "Hurray for teachers!" horn.  While I s...

This morning I learned from an old friend that one of our dear and mutual friends has passed away, Feb 3, after a battle with cancer. Last...

My current work in progress has the working title Saving Moira and the first draft will run short.  I believe a novel should really hit th...

In researching  The Twin , I read countless books.  Well, maybe not countless, and not cover to cover, but I read huge chunks of almost thi...