There was a lot to learn from being a first-grader at Saint Mary’s school. Besides what went on in the classroom, there were things like carpool rules, which no one teaches you. At least in the classroom, we knew what to expect. But with the carpool, you had to discover…

Ten Needless Words You Should Consider Deleting After finishing my latest manuscript, I hunted through it for overused words. Just, that, and then find their way into my writing as easily as pine needles find their way to my carpet. (I live in the Pacific Northwest.) Consider this…

You’re from Where? Quirky Town Names When I write fiction, I usually use real places for a stronger setting. I especially like to use ones I have actually visited. I want my characters to walk down the same streets I have, and visit my favorite cafes and parks. Some of the locales I use…

Are You a Bad-Ass Chick Asleep at the Keyboard? Texting is Writing, Too — I Think I finally started texting after realizing that the only way to communicate with my nieces and nephews was either to text them or “find” them on Facebook. All millennials ignore letters, phone messages, and…

Migration Isn’t Only for Birds: Internet Lingo I show my age when I select some of these topics, but I didn’t get to where I am without a lot of grueling work and sacrifice, so bear with me. Recently, my web host sent me an automatic renewal notice for the annual website fee. The price had gone…

9 Descriptive Alternatives I used to remember things by making lists and filing them in manila folders according to subject: organizations I belong to, contracts I’ve signed, bank and credit card statements, favorite travel locations, favorite hotels, rejection letters, published clips, and so forth. Most of those file folders are now obsolete, since…

Was the night . . . humid, moist, or wet? Is the right word on the tip of your tongue, but you’re tongue-tied? Do you have a great scene for murdering a condescending convenience-store clerk, but can’t get his body into the beer box without being seen? …

Need an idea for a short story, blog post, or a novel? Check out the newspapers. I don’t necessarily mean the front page. In our town, the most entertaining reading comes from police blotters. The reports are a wellspring of ideas for writers. Some are written tongue-in-cheek, and…

Growing Up Catholic in a Small Texas Town: The Book of Genesis (According to Me) In the Book of Genesis, God created Earth, all the creatures, and man and woman, in six days; and then rested on the seventh day to appraise his work. I think that after…