The Doggy Dog Truth

The Doggy Dog Truth

Here’s the doggy dog truth. It’s Thursday night and for practically a whole week, when I haven’t been teaching – which I do every morning – or going to the gym for a run, I’ve been sitting in this chair in my living room trying to write a piece on family, which someone has asked me to write. I’ve come at it from every angle, trying to find a way in, a great first line or an anecdote. I thought I had it at one point, but two smart writer friends sent me back to the drawing board. It’s due in a couple of days and I can’t say that I’ve gotten any closer to moving into the heart of the piece

Where Do Our Stories Come From?

  Over the years I’ve met a lot of people who wonder if their lives are interesting enough to write about. Maybe you came from a nice family where your parents spent time with you and told you what a stellar individual you were. Maybe you married the love...

What Keeps Me Awake at Night

I may have time to get to the Girl Scout store to get the new troupe numbers and Girl Scout USA insignia.   I wonder if those jeans are worth patching?   Is this middle aged spread or have I been eating too many nuts?   Nuts are good, right?   229...

The Creamy Kung Foo of Writing True Stories

Writing about your real life is a tricky dance. Your life is your petri dish. You examine the things that happen, you make notes, you pay attention to small details and you consider whether you can unpack them to reveal something larger, something like a story....

  Why We Tell Stories

Because when our children grow up we can no longer strap them into car seats, which means they’re free to roam the earth as they please, and which sometimes means they down 5 shots of vodka with their new college roommates even though they promised themselves that...