Don’t squander it by doing the same thing over and over The other day a friend asked, “Have you been doing some more writing?” He’s a golf buddy and he had read a few of my books, especially liking Sandman, a novella about golf and its mystic ways. Without telling…

A Writer Shed Review Most of us have had a time in our lives when we have felt out of place, out of step, lost in translation, the proverbial fish out of water. It can be a daunting, even debilitating experience. But then there are those who find ways, almost…

The future of artistic sensitivity, cancel culture, and the banning of books I have always been an Ernest Hemingway fan. No apologies, despite the modern revisionist take on the great writer. There has been endless analysis on his machismo, his drinking, his misogynistic ways, his implied and overt antisemitism, his…

A Writer Shed review Back in the D.D.R. by Rick Kaempfer The Review Reading Rick Kaempfer’s novel Back in the D.D.R. will feel for many like echoes of a childhood — anyone who grew up in the era of the Cold War and under the belief that Soviet spies, and…

An author’s personal story of perseverance . . . or insanity I have been championing the writing life, the creative life for many years. It has always been my lifeblood. First it was music, then journalism (yes, journalism can be creative), then personal essays, memoir, and fiction. And I have…

It’s rarely a straight line Go ahead and google “publishing.” The first to appear is a definition. The activity of making information, literature, music, software, and other content available to the public for sale or for free. The next five directive are links to companies or blogs about how to…

The journey of a new book A friend asked the other day . . . “How’s the writing going?” I wasn’t sure how to answer that. “Oh, it’s going.” Truth is, the writing was pretty much done and about to go to the editors. It’s an unsettling time in the…

How crossing disciplines awakens your art The great short story writer, George Saunders plays guitar and he writes songs. He’s admitted that he’s not a great songwriter, but he fully agrees that the process of songwriting has helped him find his way as an author. Funny how that works. Crossing…

A Writer Shed Review With striking sensitivity, humor, and superb awareness, Barbara Monier brings to life the trials of a young creative woman finding her way in the world, and yet through it all in her older years, the woman finds herself still searching. Barbara Monier weaves past and present…