As I’m reading books in preparation for an essay about the effects of 21st technology on writers, I’m—at the same time—immersing myself in technology this summer. Is that wrong? I just ordered an iPad 2 (yes, that’s a squeal of delight you hear!), learned how to format Kindle books (so much easier and more fun …
What a wonderful day! We woke to a dusting of beautiful white snow light enough I could almost blow it from the sidewalk. This afternoon I indulged my creativity with friends at a local pottery store. Most exciting, however, was that an inbox message from a friend offered an important insight into the book I’m …
This past week I introduced one of my classes to the first few pages of Vladimir Nabokov’s Speak, Memory—not an easy read for experienced readers, much less engineering students who, with only one week left before final exams, are buried chin deep in calculus problems and AutoCAD projects. One section, however, seemed to speak to …
I’m frustrated. Much of my writing is going well, but one big project continues to elude me: the book based on my great aunt’s diaries. I write snatches and scenes, try out points of view, past and present tense, different voices. I ping pong between thinking the work should be historical fiction, non-fiction, creative non-fiction, …
The blizzard of Twenty Eleven caught few unaware. Eager meteorologists tracked and broadcast in minute detail its conception, gestation and birth, then, like proud parents, kept us apprised of the monstrous infant’s first steps and howls, so that by the time the angry toddler tore through the Midwest, we had already closed our schools and …