I’m spending my day in another county with my Speech and Debate team, as they take on a number of other schools in our local league. There are a few things that demand my full attention as their coach during the day, especially in the morning and between rounds, but for the most part, I … Continue reading Thoughts Composed on Writing in November
the writing process
When Fire Reigns: Season 1, Episode 1 Published
On January 1, I set out to develop and publish an 11-episode podcast called, "When Fire Reigns." It's about the Great Baltimore Fire of 1904 and the mayor who died just three months later, reportedly by his own doing. Today, I published the first episode, just one day before the 115-year anniversary of the great … Continue reading When Fire Reigns: Season 1, Episode 1 Published
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Building a Podcast: The Baltimore Fire of 1904
Now that Fossil Five is in the hands of my editors, I have decided to devote the month of January to building a podcast series on the Baltimore Fire of 1904. It was my thesis project in grad school, and after listening to a bunch of podcasts this past week, I think it is the … Continue reading Building a Podcast: The Baltimore Fire of 1904
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Fossil Five Released to Beta Readers in One Week
It's 4:56 a.m., and I have just dropped off my daughter at work. I pour a fresh cup of coffee, sit down in front of my laptop, and open my working revision of my latest novel, Fossil Five. Seven days to go, I think. Seven days until I release my story to 15 readers around … Continue reading Fossil Five Released to Beta Readers in One Week
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The Writer’s Craft: Rethinking Structure When Drafting
I'm not much on labels, but in 1981, Betsy Flowers published an article in Language Arts that talked about the four different kinds of writers. Without going into too much detail, here they are: Madman: Unleashed, uninhibited writing that's a free-flow from brain and heart to parchment. Architect: Planned structures of the story, plotting out … Continue reading The Writer’s Craft: Rethinking Structure When Drafting
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Crafting The Unconventional Story
I've been writing a long time, and when I go back and read my earliest works written in the 1980s, I see a lot of experimentation and non-conformity while still sticking to the basics of story structure: a defined beginning, middle, and end falling neatly within the boundaries of the standard plot sequence. Although I … Continue reading Crafting The Unconventional Story
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Share More, Think Less
I spend a lot of time in my head, thinking and thinking and thinking about what to write about. Even though I keep a little Piccadilly notebook with me at all times, capturing little snippets of life that I find interesting, I don't do enough with them. In those moments, I am happy that I … Continue reading Share More, Think Less
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Understanding and Embracing the Power of Revision
Many years ago, Sharon Miller, National Writing Project Teacher-Consultant and nationally recognized author and educator in the teaching of writing, asked me to offer my thoughts on the power of revision in the genre of creative nonfiction and how, when we write with intent in the revision process and understand who our audience is, we … Continue reading Understanding and Embracing the Power of Revision
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Pushing Through The Darkness: Faith, Trust, Commitment
On June 16, when I cut ties with social media to focus entirely on finishing my book, Fossil Five, I made a big deal about descending into darkness (you can read about it HERE). After all, I selected a 105-day period that ran from a new moon to a total lunar eclipse. You can't get … Continue reading Pushing Through The Darkness: Faith, Trust, Commitment
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Answering The Call To Adventure: Part 1. Discovering The Writer Within
A few days ago, a close friend passed away rather suddenly. I think the shock of her death gripped many of us in those first hours, where we didn’t know exactly how to react. We searched for meaning, we tried to make sense of the fact that she was here in one moment, and gone … Continue reading Answering The Call To Adventure: Part 1. Discovering The Writer Within
The Maryland Writer 
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