What I’ve Learned from Joyce Maynard

I have long been a Joyce Maynard fan. With nearly 20 books and 50+ years of writing under her belt, she has admirable storytelling chops. Recently, I experienced the joy of meeting Joyce live (by my friend, Melissa Harrison’slaptop). Melissa is embarking on a...

How to Make More Money Writing

I’ve never been the type of writer who focuses only on numbers. Sure, I want to make money writing — and I always tell students never to write for free — but making bank has never been my main motivator. And it certainly isn’t a driving factor when...

The Quest for a Modern Love Clip

5 Authors Share How They Cracked the Code When you ask a writer “what would be your dream clip,” landing a Modern Love column is a common response. The publication receives somewhere around 8,000 submissions each year, according to the column’s...

Building Character

Recently, the American Society of Journalists asked me to run a “Snack Chat” about essay writing as part of their annual (now virtual) conference. Since many of the attendees have heard me riff about essays before, I decided to go off script this time and...