Category Archives: Writing

“Popping the Hood”

Posted on May 10, 2013 by

Over on Neil Fein’s Magnificent Nose, I have a post up about reading like a writer, including the tragic tale of how I lost my magical reading powers and what I got in exchange. Read the essay here.  Thanks!     … Continue reading →

Posted in Books & Libraries, Writing | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Max Perkins: Editor of Genius

Posted on April 21, 2013 by

Max Perkins: Editor of Genius, by A. Scott Berg, arrived in my mailbox from a friend I know only from the Internet, because life is strange these days, with the intersections of the real and the virtual constantly confusing those of … Continue reading →

Posted in Books & Libraries, Criticism, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The End.

Posted on February 11, 2013 by

Saturday evening, a little before 9 pm  I typed two words I have longed to write for many years. The words were “The End,” and in typing them, I crossed an item off the list of my life goals. I have … Continue reading →

Posted in Writing | Tagged | 23 Comments

“Following”

Posted on January 24, 2013 by

Neil Fein asked a few writers to try their hand at epistolary flash fiction. I love epistolary novels, but how could anyone replicate the form’s slow unfolding of characters, relationships, and conflict in 500 words or less? Here’s what I … Continue reading →

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A New Year Every Day

Posted on January 15, 2013 by

I paid more attention than usual this year to people’s New Year’s resolutions and to the obligatory articles in the media about the most common resolutions and how long people keep them. Unsurprisingly, people want to improve their health, financial … Continue reading →

Posted in Criticism, Writing | Tagged , , , , , | 15 Comments

We Don’t Need Books to Free. We Need Them to be Brilliant.

Posted on January 1, 2013 by

When I’m meeting people for the first time, some of them want to confess: “Bless me, Librarian, for I have sinned. It has been four years since I last read a book.” People tell me this sheepishly (and quite unbidden. … Continue reading →

Posted in Books & Libraries, Criticism, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Lobbing Nerf Rocks

Posted on December 1, 2012 by

At a workshop I attended recently, Emmy Laybourne, author of the Monument 14 series, shared a rule, well-known among screenwriters, that I had never heard before: “Chase your character up a tree and throw rocks at him.” It’s smart advice: … Continue reading →

Posted in Books & Libraries, Motherhood, Volta, Writing | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Perfect Whole, Superstorm Sandy Edition

Posted on November 1, 2012 by

We are grateful to have come through the storm safe and well, with no property damage, though I did not at all like the threatening looks one old, majestic oak was casting in the direction of my dining room. It … Continue reading →

Posted in Books & Libraries, Motherhood, Writing | Tagged , , , , , | 8 Comments

“One Lovely Blog”

Posted on October 27, 2012 by

The lovely Canadian blogger Fransi Weinstein nominated Perfect Whole for something called the “One Lovely Blog” award. I looked into it, and the award is really more like a magnanimous game than an award, as such. There will be, sadly, … Continue reading →

Posted in Criticism, Writing | Tagged , | 6 Comments

Unfriended

Posted on October 24, 2012 by

Neil Fein of  Magnificent Nose is running his third series of flash fiction this week. My contribution, “Unfriended,” is today’s story. Please check it out and let me know what you think. (I’ll bet you didn’t even think I knew … Continue reading →

Posted in Writing | Tagged | 5 Comments