2/20/11 -- For the past two weeks I've been having chronic problems accessing and updating this Blog. But now, quite suddenly, all is cured! I did nothing, except try again. There is a lesson here. The old saying: If at first you don't succeed . ....

2/3/11 -- I'm in Spokane, WA for two weeks of school visits. So far I've been to Logan Elementary and Ridgeview. The weather might be cold, but these kids' imaginations are on fire. Talk about bright and creative -- so much potential! It's a pleas...

1/25/11 -- In the long-time-no-see department, I got to visit with a former student teacher from 33 years ago. Lucy Hill is now a librarian at Middleton Elementary in Sherwood, OR, and invited me to speak there about the writing process. All of wh...

1/22/11 -- The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater performed here in Corvallis on Thursday night. Dancers, it occurred to me as I sat there watching in awe, create with the human body as the brush. Musicians paint with sound. Visual artists compose...

1/14/11 -- Great school visit yesterday at Boeckman Creek Elementary in Wilsonville, Oregon. Librarian Jen Arndt was the perfect host. If the students there are any indication, the book -- contrary to popular belief -- is far from dead. Those kids...

1/11/11 -- In honor of today's date and all its ONES, I'm saying no to multitasking and focusing on just ONE thing at a time. Ah . . . Try it, you'll like it.

1/7/11 -- Speaking of my current obsession -- getting the job done -- I found this great quote from novelist Margaret Atwood: "I have long since decided that if you wait for the perfect time to write, you'll never write. There is no time that isn'...

1/5/11 -- Five days into the new year, and so far I'm living up to my 2011 writing resolution: Write first thing in the morning, before doing anything else. This applies even if it's only a few minutes at the computer before breakfast. Get in the ...

01/04/11 -- Another year, another blog. 2011 coming soon!P.S. Note the Blog Archive links below. After all, the past is past, but not totally worthless. Or something like that. I hope . . .

12/13/10 -- Tough times can push people apart, or bring them together. I'm lucky to have a family that all rallied unfailingly around my youngest daughter, Amy, as she went through hip surgery. Her cat, Joon, is the lone exception. While we were a...

12/7/10 -- If my story is a car, the engine that powers it forward is the main character. If I do a good enough job of developing that character, I'm sitting behind the wheel with a big grin on my face. Varoom!

11/30/10 -- Five days after Thanksgiving and I'm doing my best to be grateful every day, not just on the last Thursday of November. Sometimes, I admit, I slip and start seeing the glass as half empty instead of half full. Most of the time, though,...

11/22/10 -- I was once again reminded that the two most helpful words in the writing world are . . . "What if?" Used them today to unlock my imagination, get the possibilities flowing, and solve a plotting puzzle. Try them out. It works!

11/19/10 -- Another good week of writing. I'm loving being home and having the time to dive deep into my story and keep my focus there. But enough of living inside my head. It's Friday night and time for some socializing!

11/17/10 -- Irish hearth note: "Tell a good story, tell a good lie, or get out." It may sound a bit harsh and uncompromising, but for a writer it's good advice.

11/12/10 -- Isn't it great when life feels balanced? This week I was able to write a bunch, go for three runs, visit Brush College Elementary School in Salem, OR for a day of presentations on the writing process, conduct a writer's workshop with n...

11/9/10 -- The question has come up among group of my writing buddies who have made a pledge to write every day: If you are doing something besides writing -- working in the garden, for example, or going for a run -- and you find yourself thinking...

11/8/10 -- I'm excited to report that I'm getting lots of positive feedback on STORM MOUNTAIN. Teachers and librarians are saying nice things, which is great. But, most importantly, kids -- whom I consider to be the most important readers on the p...

11/3/10 -- Two weeks is a long time to be away from home. But the school visits in El Paso, TX were worth it -- lots of great kids! As was the retreat with children's book writer friends on the California coast -- lots of work done on ATTACK OF TH...

10/22/10 -- I'm packed and ready for the last author visit here in El Paso, TX. I am a lucky man; I get to spend this day with kids and educators, talking about books and writing. Life is good!