Ramblings on Writing Spaces

Growing up, all my stories and poems and songs and plays - even my first couple of books - went into spiral notebooks. They were badly smudged, with that pesky left-hander pencil smear across most of the pages. I can still remember the smell of pencil shavings and the satisfying rustle of pages turning. I [...]

Books Are Dangerous

Books can be bliss. Books can be a wonderful escape. Books can be deadly dangerous. I’m not sure about you, but I’m addicted to books. I know of many people who are afflicted by this madness as well. It’s not really curable, and I’ve never been quite clear on whether that’s because it’s impossible, or [...]

First Drafts and Dragons

Well, my friends, I am feeling a strange mixture of utter relief and tension right now. It's the feeling that comes when a first draft is finished (relief), and edits loom large (tension) .... Yes, you heard me. Mere minutes ago I typed the last sentence of my book. It is the second of a [...]

Falling Into the Book

In books, characters can stumble into other worlds in many different ways. Sometimes it’s as simple as walking through a door or crossing a bridge. Other times it’s as unexpected as the door of a musty old wardrobe, falling down a rabbit hole, or flying out your window toward the second star on the right, [...]

Fairy Tales Are For Boys, Too

I’ve often thought that fairy tales are unfortunately named. Not many boys want to get near any story that has the name “fairy” or “princess” in it. That sounds like a stereotype – but go ahead, ask the next boy you see how many fairy stories he’s read lately. Or ever. But I say that [...]