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The Difference Between Being Told and Being Involved or A Tale of Three Workshops

TheLitCoach — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 00:02:53 +0000

In college I took several fiction and nonfiction writing workshops. It was during one of my earlier fiction workshops where this one student in particular never seemed to like ANYTHING anyone in the workshop wrote. He would always start his critique with, "I don't like." Continue Reading. . .

Simply Contradictory – A Guest Post by Suzy Vitello

TheLitCoach — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 20:56:46 +0000

This week’s post is contributed by my good friend and colleague, editor and author Suzy Vitello. If you haven’t already checked out Suzy’s blog, ...

On Time, Writing Advice and Focus

TheLitCoach — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 01:07:47 +0000

Hello, dear writers. I’ve missed writing to you every week. Because of a slew of editing jobs I’ve taken, teaching a five-week online class at ...

Great Expectations

TheLitCoach — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 07:49:32 +0000

As the holidays approach I'm reminded of a conversation I had several years ago with a lovely Swiss woman - our boys were in Kindergarten together and I remember feeling particularly annoyed with the overwhelming pressure to present my children with the best Christmas ever(!) on a limited budget. As I voiced my fear of holiday inadequacy to her, she confided in me that her family simply did not participate in the "American Christmas" - the one that's filled with over-eating, over-spending, over-celebrating and over-extending oneself, Continue Reading

Epiphanies: Listening To That Little Voice In Your Head

TheLitCoach — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 05:34:26 +0000

Four years ago I had absolutely nothing published, not a single short story. Today, I have a novel out, over forty stories online and print, a few contest wins and nominations, and a real sense of fulfillment that I couldn’t find doing anything else but writing. How did I get here? It wasn’t easy. There were many foggy days where I stumbled around the literary landscape, lost, without a home, unsure of how to move forward. This is the story of a story, the tale of a tale—just one example of how to find clarity. ... Continue Reading