Author and Ghostwriter
I’ve had a lot of clients who worry that writing a memoir will seem like what they call a “vanity project.” I think this is a term that has come into common use lately, what with all the self publishing that’s available. It’s not all done at a quality level. Some memoirs seem rather self … Read moreMemoirs Don’t Praise but Highlight Interesting Struggles
If you’ve been wanting to become a memoirist, here’s your first lesson, called “Commas can kiss my ass!” It’s also my very first video. Comments are welcome! Go ahead, let me have it. Basically, the thing is, don’t let a fear of getting your grammar and punctuation wrong hold you back from putting words on … Read moreCommas Can Kiss My Ass! Says Bright, Alert Memoirist
Once upon a time, a client urged me to write her memoir so as to give this impression: “I’m like that honey badger!” When I asked what in the world that meant, she replied, “I’m a badass and I really don’t give a shit!” I had no idea what she was talking about, so she … Read moreEveryone Wants a Piece of the Best-Selling Honey Badger
I recently took a class with the famous thriller writer Dan Brown! A lot of things he said stood out, but I particularly thought he had a unique approach to staying fresh during his writing time. He has an app–I don’t know what it’s called–that forces you to take a break every hour by literally … Read moreBestselling Writing Advice. It’s to Help You Be Better
If you’re writing a memoir, and you don’t “have time to write,” there’s always the audio-tape method. This biography writing trick is far more effective than most people think. Best of all, this method gives you permission to do two things: one, talk your book instead of write it and two, tell it out of … Read moreEnjoy Biography Writing Victory, Scene by Scene
You have a friend whose life is always a mess. I mean his kids are a mess, his ex-wife is a mess, his girlfriend is a mess, his business is a mess, each and every client within his business is a mess. His dog is a mess. His girlfriend’s dog is an even bigger mess. … Read moreA Memoirist’s Heart Confronts a Brazen Mess
When you think someone’s not speaking to you, but then you realize he was “speaking to you” but he wasn’t actually speaking to you for a lack of things to say, then you wonder about all the things we do to ourselves inside our heads. You thought him not speaking to you was a significant … Read moreSpeaking of Not Speaking
The fact that nobody else in Maine has a chamomile lawn ought probably to be a deterrent from me attempting this landscaping idea, but when has such logic ever stopped me before? Mainers aren’t known for being innovative thinkers. Let’s be honest. They’re known for being folksy, which isn’t the same thing. I may end … Read moreChamomile Lawn
I eat my breakfast at the Circle K. It’s a two-block walk at 6:30 am, when I tend to want coffee. The gourmet pastry shop across the street closed down months ago. The sandwich shop by the U-haul dealership is shuttered and up for rent. Walgreens is there. I could buy a bag of coffee … Read moreAt The Circle K
When people find out I’m a writer, they often ask me (with a weird kind of light in their eyes) for my “routine.” I think people have a romantic notion that I’m up all night with a bottle of Jack, ranting and raving into the computer … scratch that, into an old-fashioned Olivetti typewriter, like … Read moreGetting up in Time for the Bright Sunrise?