How I Come Up With Character Names

Unusual Names From Real People Ok, I can’t believe I’m admitting this, but this is how I find character names…⁠ I read the obituaries.⁠ Yep, you read that right. The obituaries. Now, stick with me. It’s not because I’m being morbid, but if I need to come up with an interesting name for my character […]

Four Common Writing Problems & How I Deal With Them

This week, I cheered as a team of four U.S. astronauts launched into space aboard the SpaceX Dragon capsule for a journey to the International Space Station for the first time since 2011. This journey came after years of intense preparation and research and included an unusual companion: a Baby Yoda doll. (I’m a huge […]

4 Reasons Why I Chose To Get An MFA In Creative Writing

I chose to get an MFA in Creative Writing for a lot of reasons, not all listed here. You may not share these reasons and that’s OK. We have different lives and different ways of thinking. And there are many paths along the writing life. Mine certainly isn’t definitive, even though I immensely enjoyed my […]