How do you know if your writing is any good?

How do you know if your writing is any good?

It’s helpful to know that obstacles are part of the writing process, but how are you supposed to deal with them when they raise their ugly heads? What can you do if you’re confused, say, about setting, or plot, or the relevance of that stuff for your chosen genre? And...
Another one of Walt’s death marches

Another one of Walt’s death marches

One Saturday several years ago, Walt and I decided to hike the Grand Canyon. We went down the South Kaibab trail to the bottom, meandered along the banks of the Colorado River, then headed back up to the top along the Bright Angel trail. It’s a pretty big day: roughly...
The benefits of owning a rabid Rottweiler

The benefits of owning a rabid Rottweiler

There are benefits to owning a rabid Rottweiler. There’s a reason a recovering people pleaser like me chooses a mate who couldn’t give a tinker’s damn about displeasing others, who fears confrontation not one whit. Walt and I went to Mallorca one weekend to...
How to land yourself in jail

How to land yourself in jail

A young Frenchman wants to switch places with me so he can sit next to one of the five cohorts who accompanied him on our transatlantic flight.  He’s asked me several times if I’ll move, and he won’t take no for an answer. “This is my wife,” he says in broken English...
The mystery of the six-minute hard-boiled eggs

The mystery of the six-minute hard-boiled eggs

“I’d like two six-minute hard-boiled eggs,” I said, enunciating each word carefully. The young man who had assisted me with the very same order the day before nodded, then darted off to the hotel kitchen. Weaving in and out of the crowded breakfast area, I took my...