I love writing. I love teaching. I love teaching writing. I love listening to writers talk about their manuscripts. I love problem solving with writers. I love the delicacy and boldness of writing. These tips are things I’ve learned over the years that have held me in good stead and kept me going through the hard dry times. I hope they help you.

And hey, they are only a minute long. Click here.

Patti Gauch is one of my favorite humans and a wonderful teacher. One of my favorite rhapsodies of hers is “make your nouns vivid.” When she is teaching certain texts, she will often pause on how a writer made a certain scene come alive by noting a sentence like ‘the table held a red glass bowl, filled with cat’s eyes marbles.’ She’ll say, “You can see it, can’t you?” She’s so right. I tend to rely on active vivid verbs but really when you close your eyes, often it is well chosen specific nouns that paint a picture in your reader’s mind.