Red Room Where the Writers Are

Advice that Editors Have Offered: Pure Gold »

The wonderful Belle Yang has asked for some specifics about the kinds of editorial comments good editors have made on my poetry.

Takes Courage to Submit Work to Magazines »

     It does take courage to send one's work out to literary magazines.

the work in progress »

Right now I'm working on a new book. It's taken awhile to change gears from the last book and onto this one. Part of it is getting to know the new characters.

Wanna be a part of the creative process? »

Here's all I need from you.

Patience, Projects, Pushing, Passion »

I'm thinking today about patience, and projects, and pushing, and passion, and the relationship between all these Ps.

Daily Practice »

This year, my New Year's resolutions included finding a daily spiritual practice.

Where the ... ahem.. "magic" happens. For Belle. »

I have a great office. It's a yellow bedroom at the top of the house looking north to the Oakland Hills.

Learning to Write Sarah's Way »

People wanted to hear more about Sarah's writing methods and suicide. I've just posted her story (Under Stories).  This is the beginning.

Audio? »

Lately, to fit in some thoughtwork time wherever possible (parenthood has made me creative in ways I never thought I'd need to be about time and stealing a bit here and there, in the wee hours of t

Poison »

I was walking in the woods yesterday though a shady summer Northern California hillside of madrone, bay laurel, and oak.

The Writer's Research Trip »

How can you know what it smells like inside a Nevada brothel? Whether the coffee is bottomless at Stockmen's casino restaurant? What the sun looks like coming up over the Ruby Mountains?

Treading Water »

Advice please. What do you do to regenerate creatively? Or are the ideas for projects just there inside you, lined up like eggs in ovaries waiting for their chance to develop and pop?

Terrified by Poetry »

I'm late to the "What is Poetry" party. The question has been answered by the professionals, and I'm still struggling to catch up.

The Dust of Fiction »

“The fact is that the materials of the fiction writer are the humblest.

The Story Behind the Story - The Baby Slot »

I love it when I write something fictional, and then find out it's true. Was it something I overheard, or read, or the Universe whispered in my ear?

Writers' Rooms »

I've never had a proper writing room, but for a blissful but busy three months in the winter of 2007; a Christmas present from my wife.

Getting to Know Your Characters »

The Turning Tide has gone away to my editor and agent. *waves and sniffs* (Did you hear that? Did it really say "I'll Be Back" with an Arnold accent? Oh. Dear.)

I have the done »

Best words in the English Language: The End

Saying Good-Bye »

I went through a grieving process after I completed So Dark the Night. I missed my two central characters--Cassandra Zinnea and Evgeny Nightstalk--like two old friends.

The process of finishing the book »

As I write this post, I am in the process of trying to finish up a draft of a book.

Writing in a locked room »

It's far too easy, these days, with two little kids and a day job that sometimes bleeds into the evenings after the kids have gone to bed, to forgo the daily writing ritual.

Herbert Selby Jr. on Writing and Why We Do It »

Last night I was at a meeting of writers -- good ones, successful ones -- and the conversation (as usual) took a brief but precipitous plunge into despair about the marketplace, the question of how to

the end is nigh »

The end, however, is not nearly nigh enough. My deadline is in a couple of short weeks, and so I’ll keep this relatively short.

Slump »

I have no energy. My novel is now done and out making the rounds, and that requires a little upkeep but not a lot.

Dear Daddy »

Dear Daddy,

Sacred Music, Sacred Muse »

Last night I had the privilege to hear the husband and wife duo Shantala http://www.shantalamusic.com/ perform at Yoga Shala. They create an amazing kirtan.

The Yellow Swing »

Writing a memoir is counterintuitive. To do it well, you have to bear unflinching witness to yourself as character in the story. You have to recognize that you are not the you you are writing about.

Depressed Thinking Distortions for Writers »

I recently came across a list of Depressed Thinking Distortions and, in a stunning epiphany, realized that while I'm not depressed, historically, my relationship to my writing career h

Bad Guys »

As I writer, I’m fascinated by human motivation. Lately I’ve been really interested in how we respond to fear.

My Two Greatest Writing Lessons »

Around 1986, I interned at the L.A. Weekly. This was pre-... well, pretty much pre-everything. Wednesday was layout day; the entire production crew was quarantined for the duration.

copy editing a manuscript »

The copy edited manuscript (cem) for The Black Ship arrived the other day. I thought I'd tell you a bit about what it is and what I'm supposed to do with it.

More on Leaping (though not on Lemurs) »

"Are you afraid of this happiness?" ~ The Buddha (according to my page-a-day Zen calendar).

Sleep Writing and Jill Bolte Taylor »

My bed is an active tool in my writerly toolkit, so today I want to talk a little about the best writing technique I know. Sleep writing.

Moving Forward, Hoorah! »

There it sits on the dining room table, the printout of the second draft of my novel, THE OAKLANDERS.

Bliss »

Please, somebody remind me of this gloriously joyful writing time during my next bleak period.

Writing Backwards and Inside Out »

My brain is working overtime.

Hello, Red Room! »

Hello, Red Room!It's nice to "go live" and to be officially among you all!

Double, double toil and trouble, fire burn, and cauldron bubble »

Wouldn't it be nice if I had a fat advance check or two to live off while I finish writing my novel and my non-fiction book about blues music?

Changing my writing process »

I have a book due in June. I've not actually put words to page yet. That changes today.

Faith »

What's in front of me?  In my writing room on the windowsill: a kneeling praying terra cota angel; a tiny bronze dancing Shiva; two small colorfully painted ceramic monks with big bellies, their a