Category: writing

  • Writerly resolutions for 2020—the post mortem

    I set three goals for 2020: two related to finishing snd revising the novel and a third that largely involved doing nothing. I kind of failed at all three. I had bursts of productivity in the spring and the summer but continuing problems with my laptop knocked me out of commission for the last couple…

  • Writerly resolutions: November status

    No graph this month for progress on the novel because there was no progress. I wrote not one word. I had planned to finish some writing. Lots of writing. But during the first couple of weeks, I was trying to keep up with writing group obligations and put things off. Then, I decided that while…

  • “The Namesake”: The Story Behind the Story

    Usually, I post these when a story is available online or the issue can be ordered. But for whatever reason, the issue of Sandy River Review that contains this piece seems not to exist anywhere but contributor copies. If you’d like to read it, send me an email and I’ll send a PDF. The PDF version…

  • Writerly resolutions: October status

    The biggest change in my writing life this month is returning to having a critique group. Trying to balance critique group responsibilities with my own writing has been a bit of a challenge and I need to do better with this. I did manage to complete chapter 23 and make some progress on chapter 24 in…

  • Writerly resolutions: September status

    September was a pretty good month for progress on the novel. I finished a first draft of chapter 23 and have done most of the rewrite draft although I’ve slowed down as I need to get into the weeds on some questions of Jewish theology to write a conversation that takes place. Even better, I have…

  • Writerly resolutions: August Status

    August finally felt like a return to normal—whatever that would be in my progress on the novel.   managed to finish chapter 22 and get a good start on chapter 23 without too much dithering about what’s happening in the novel. It’s still a challenge to get myself to re-read the pages when it’s time to…

  • A story of a word

    I got an e-mail yesterday inquiring about the spelling of a word that I used in a poem that will be published this fall. I had written “galabiyya” in reference to the robe-like garb that some Islamic men wear. My editor, doing due diligence found spellings of “galabeya” and “jalabiya.”  I honestly didn’t even remember…

  • Writerly Resolutions: July Status

    Something has changed. I’m not necessarily having the progress I’d ideally like, but I’m doing much better at getting the words onto the page. Still a lot of flat stretches in the graph, but the vertical bits are more vertical than they’ve been for months. The submittable queue has drained from 8 down to 5.…

  • Writerly resolutions: June Status—They’re all quarantine editions I guess

    June was yet another mediocre month, although I did at least finish a draft of chapter 21. Now the only problem is getting myself willing to do a critical read of that chapter and start rewriting. The submittable queue continues to trickle its way to empty, dropping from 10 down to 8. I have two submissions…