I have books all over the place.

I’ve learned (as I’ve become stronger and more prolific with my writing) that getting a glimmer of an idea is gold. Closing your eyes as you lay in bed or changing the radio dial as you’re at the wheel of your car or reaching for the spatula as you’re fixing dinner and telling yourself “I’ll have to remember that for later” is one of the stupidest damn things you can do as a writer.

You probably won’t remember it. At the very least, you won’t remember every juicy nuance of it, not like you will when it’s fresh in your brain.

I’ve had some amazing, bestselling ideas slip away from me like that. At least, I think they were. I’ll never know now because I don’t remember what the hell they were, other than they were brilliant. Goddammit. Continue reading →

My stories come to me in a myriad of ways.

Sometimes it’s a sliver of a remembered dream. Or I was people-watching and somebody fascinated me. Or I was mulling over something for another story and a new story ambushed my brain and took off with it.

That happens entirely too often.

And then I hit the quandry and one of two things happens: Continue reading →