What makes life worthwhile?

"I'm always trying to write about the most important things that people do. The places in their lives where they feel the greatest stress, the places where they feel the greatest passion and how they deal with those things and how they survive them and make their lives go on. Being in love with somebody…

Balancing Vulnerability with Transformation

"African narratives in the West, they proliferate. I really don't care anymore. I'm more interested in the stories we tell about ourselves -- how as a writer, I find that African writers have always been the curators of our humanity on this continent. The question is, how do I balance narratives that are wonderful with…

You have to give everything away every single time!

Writers, we fear so many things. That we won't have what it takes. That we will run out of words. Perhaps that great idea should go in another book. "Often the writing process is filled with a sense of jeopardy because, in essence, with every book I turn myself inside out. One of the things…

There’s not a single second of my life when I’m not thinking story…

"So I don't keep a notebook of good lines, good thoughts or dreams. I have too many stories in my head rather than too few. Until very recently I had to grab whatever time I could because I worked at one full-time job, three part-time jobs and so on. When I was ready to sit…

Messages, Dreams & Omens

"So much of what I do is unconscious. I choose not to dissect why certain images appear when I'm writing. I just let them lead and take me where they will. I attempt to make connections. I often feel that my connections are just as good as someone else's in that regard. Because, when the…

Inspiration & Dreams

On inspiration coming from our experiences and our dreams... "I dreamed that's how it would happen for my protagonist: she would see a man in the middle of a jailbreak and, by his eyes, no him totally. No his fear and his terror and know that they were her own. The whole thing became alive…

Writing from the Womb Workshop

Perhaps this year you will know that YOU ARE A WRITER! This year's focus in Writing from the Womb is about complete surrender to the process of crafting a story, living in the world of our characters, writing with intention and committing fully to "Birthing the Story!" I have met many women who have risen to the…

Day 203: You told me to show up!!! Where you at? #dearagent

Dear Agent; So it has been too many days since I have come to the page. I have hidden. I have procrastinated. I have run. I have been embarrassed to face you because honestly, I haven’t known what to say to you. They say, “just show up!” JUST SHOW UP and the creativity will just…

Day 120 ~ Feel All Of It! #dearagent

Dear Agent; Feel everything. Give it all away. Put everything you have into your story. Go there… really go there! Remember what it felt like to scrape your knee at five years old? When we believed it was the end of the world. We convinced ourselves that there is no greater pain than the alcohol or…

Day 106: Stay In The Moment! #dearagent #wewrite

Dear Agent; We are tempted to move on to the next thing. We tend to want to move away from the harder topics we're writing quickly. There will be moments that make us so uncomfortable we avoid going beneath the surface and sitting in the crap. There are moments when a subject will disturb us in…