2014 Christmas Short Stories

Eating Healthy
I created fifteen original (slightly inappropriate) 100-word short stories based on Christmas greeting cards and I’m sharing one per day between today and January 6. For this creative exercise, I chose to embrace three constraints:
1.Stories had to be based on the greeting card. Both should be able to stand on their own while also enhancing each other. I found

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Elmore Leonard answers my questions

Last week, Elmore Leonard answered reader questions at the Barnes & Noble Center Stage, a message board thread in which prominent writers are given an opportunity to interact with fans. I’ve read a lot about Leonard’s approach to writing, thoughts on writers, and so on that it took me a little while to think of … Read more

Your Friday Recommendation #25

Due to a hectic schedule this week, I’m only one-third of the way through Neil Gaiman’s latest, The Graveyard Book, yet I feel pretty confident recommending it. A toddler who comes to be named Nobody Owens wanders out of his home and into a graveyard on the night his family is slain by a mysterious … Read more

Browsing books in the store

I was in Walgreens this week waiting for my photos and wandered around the store for a while as the technician tried to fix the photo development machinery. Try as he might, he couldn’t fix the machine but my time spent waiting ended up with me doing something I haven’t done in a long time … Read more

Applying to an MFA program VI: It’s in the mail!

Welcome to part VI of our “Applying to a Creative Writing MFA program” series. Yesterday, we had a word on why visiting grad schools is worth your time, effort, and money. Today we send off our application(s)! You’ve been drafting your personalized letter of intent, tweaking your resume and vita, plunking down cash for transcripts, … Read more

Applying to an MFA program III: Preparing paperwork.

Welcome to part III of our “Applying to a Creative Writing MFA program” series. Yesterday, we looked at steps we can take to prepare ourselves for a write-every-day / ready-every-day MFA lifestyle. Today we look at the importance of organizing the application process to save our sanity. Every MFA program has a slightly different application … Read more