...I have a new poem, "My Girl" up at CLUTCHING AT STRAWS and here under "Words in Print." I really like Shawn Misener who edits C.A.S. He's a great guy, fighting the good fight.

...I read an article about writer, Antonya Nelson, where her work was described as "wreckage that results when strong women trust weak men." i liked that a lot for some reason. Here's her advice on writing, along with others...

"My husband is a writer and a good example. He writes every day. He treats writing like a job. He's a very good employee with an exemplary attendance record."

(P.D. James to Elizabeth George upon rejecting Elizabeth’s first attempt at a novel (she’s since published 25.))
P.D. James: “My dear, you have done something many people only dream of. You have written a novel. You must never give up.”
Elizabeth George: “So I didn’t.”

“To be a writer, you have to have a certain humility, otherwise you are not going to improve.” -- Z.Z. Packer

“When I used to teach creative writing, I would tell the students to make their characters want something right away—even if it is only a glass of water. Characters paralyzed by the meaningless of modern life still have to drink water from time to time.” -- Debby Applegate

“Omit unnecessary word.” -- Strunk and White

“My best advice to a writer is to read. I think this is more important than taking courses in creative writing or getting and MFA degree.” -- Thomas H. Cook

“The best advice I ever got was to think as a writer. Sounds like a simple enough thought exercize, but conceiving of yourself as a writer does have practical consequences. Some are clear perks. Buy yourself a comfortable chair. Create a productive working space. Don’t apologize to your family for needing time, space, silence and solitude to write. It is, after all, you job. But thinking of yourself as a writer also creates responsibilities. You have to write. This is not a hobby. It’s your job. You identity. Your compulsion. Write every day. If you skip a day, make sure you have a darn good reason, and make sure you don’t skip the next one.” -- Alafair Burke

“Show you characters in the throes of yearning.” -- Susan Vreeland

“When it’s easy, when it just comes to you, when you feel like you’re a heck of a writer, that’s when you’re probably tired and it’s time to call it a day.” -- Jo Nesbo

Grace Paley on revision: “Okay, revision. Here’s the deal. You begin with the very first word and you ask, ‘Is it true?’ Then—well, then you do the same thing for each word after that.”

“Park your butt at your desk and get on with it.” -- Sue Grafton