Finally I’d Like to Thank Me, Without Whom This Blog Post Wouldn’t Have Happened.
I guess it's late in the week, so it's time for something trivial to become a thing. But Noreen Malone devoted a column in this week's New Republic to snark…
When Should An Author Retire?
Alexander Nazaryan's review of Jim Crace's Harvest raised the question of when an author should hang it up. Crace's answer appears to be that authors should find something else to do…
You’ve Been Rejected. Just Accept It.
I've received a ton, and sent a ton out. Rejection slips: one of nature's most concentrated forms of pain. There are many ways to respond to rejection slips. Lynne Barrett…
Are You Pondering What I’m Pondering?
I'm still picking at parts of Summer of Long Knives. Some of it feels necessary, but a good deal of it is neurosis. It's usually at this point that I become convinced…
The Tricky Semiotics of Tom and Sheldon
It's time once again to do a close reading. Today's subject, the email sent by Rodney Tom and Tim Sheldon, two state senators who claim to be proud Democrats, even…
The Secret Revealed
You can now open the mystery box and see my essay on writing secondary characters, which does reveal something about how I revised Dismantle the Sun. I'd like to thank Beyond…
My J.J. Abrams Impression
Watch this space carefully over the next few days, for it is here that I might reveal something about something that may nor may not be significant about a project…
My Advice to Young Writers
Been away doing literary editor stuff. (To MMIP fans--all two of them--soon my pets, soon.) Now that I'm back, let's get into what I've been pondering: Jeffrey Eugenides's Advice To Young…
Status Reports On Upcoming Projects
As part of my charter to keep you informed about all things me, I offer this status update on everything that'll be new and now...shortly. Summer of Long Knives: Done.…
Re: The Year Just Past
The publication of Dismantle the Sun and the death of my father serve as the headline events for my 2012. I am pleased my Dad made it long enough to…