I wonder if I’m alone in having the experience of reading gay romance and, in the process, rethinking my marriage. Before I started reading gay romance, I read het romance for long time and didn’t rethink my marriage. Why was reading gay romance so different? Following that question’s trail of clues continues to take me to places where I feel more at home. […]
Read MoreYou know that feeling when you’re pulled in different directions but don’t know which direction is right for you? This choice is at the root of creativity and healthy relationships. How we navigate moments by making choices adds up to a life. Our degree of courage to accept who we are and act in truth ripples out to shape society.
Do I do what I know to be the right thing for me, even when doing so […]
Read MoreOne of the main characters in my novel Everyday History writes articles about his treasured possessions. Each article focuses on a meaningful object and the important history it encapsulates. Reader interest in that novel and those articles led to this series of guest articles in the same style.
Lauren Sapala blew into my life when I started writing my second novel. She’s an author and writing coach for INFP and INFJ (that’s me) personality types. Through her books, our conversations, and: […]
Read MoreRecommending a book includes elements of exposure and risk: “Here. I offer you something I love. Therefore, as you read, you will find out more about me.”
A few years ago I sent my dad one of my favorite non-fiction books, curious to see if he would read it and, if he did, what he would think of it. To my surprise, he read it, we talked about it, and he asked for another book.
At the time of that first book recommendation, Dad was […]
Read MoreWhere do you feel most at home? Is your instinctive answer a town or a country, a family house, a room in your apartment, your bed? Why?
My lifelong love affair with the concept of home arose from weathering many moves as a child of parents who valued career opportunities (in their modest, service-oriented way) over location stability. As an adult, I extended the trend and continued to […]
Read MoreAt the intersection of memoir, story, and intimacy we find... the grocery list. A fascination with this treasure chest of an overlooked art form bloomed from a chance encounter with a stranger’s grocery list thirty years ago.
While at a retreat center nestled in the vast Oregon forest, I went for a hike in the rain and a yellow slip of paper caught my attention. I picked it up (of course I did; I’d been trained from an early age to respect nature and never to litter). The paper was […]
Read MoreThe more I write stories about men who are not straight, the more I discover they are about me as well.
In pursuit of creative spark, I throw questions into the air and open to receive. The story that comes will not be one I should write or hope to write. If I try to boss Story to stay inside the lines or hurry up or be marketable, inspiration suffers.
My job is to […]
Read MoreIn these days of computers and phones, writing by hand evokes nostalgia. I hear people say, “I’m trying to do everything digitally these days,” as they strive for efficiency and data-protection. But even in the midst of information overwhelm, the physical act of writing by hand on actual paper, in private, remains a powerful tool for personal alignment.
I’m here to raise a fist (clutching a pen) in support of journaling by hand. In particular, I’m here to […]
Read MoreThis unusual time of sheltering in place opens the way for something different. For now, the edges of our everyday worlds are smaller: the expanse of our residence, or an outdoor place where we can have some space. But creativity thrives in uncertainty. When our ability to venture wide is limited, we can shift our gazes to look deeper for treasure—right here where we are.
In my novel Everyday History, one of the main characters, Henry, writes articles to […]
Read MoreFor readers of my novel Everyday History who told me they wished Henry's articles were real so they could read more of them, I offer a compromise: a series of Everyday History-style articles about items in my life. (This one includes an audio option.)
My mom grew up by the Mississippi River in the Deep South. Her childhood photos show a thin girl in the midst of a tragedy. Dark circles under eyes full of […]
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