We've moved.  Link: The Writer Shed

The shed is not moving, physically. It will always remain. And will always be my sanctuary. But The Writer Shed blog is moving. The Writer Shed is now on MEDIUM. This network of writers and thinkers and creatives is a wonderful place for thought and content. Much has been born out of MEDIUM. It is … Continue reading We’ve Moved

This is a question I get a great deal at workshops and readings. So you're a writer, they say, what do you write? For so long, I found that hard to answer. But now after seven books and another coming out in 2020, some 400,000 words later, I think I know. Contemplative literature. Sounds pretentious, doesn't … Continue reading What Do You Write? Defining Your Style

I'm not doing NaNoWriMo. I've written it off. Have done so for several years. I write all the time. I don't need a month to remind me to write. Certainly, others might find camaraderie in the process and motivation in the mark of a month. That's great. It's not for me. Much of this now … Continue reading NaNoWriMo? It’s ALWAYS Time to Write

A few days ago, my wife and dog headed out to a state park to hike for a few hours. Before driving home, we found ourselves in a nearby rural town. Utica, Illinois has one main street in the historic 1850s-era downtown. There is a rather trendy wine store and bar, a few taverns, a … Continue reading Scenes from an Afternoon

The other night, lying in bed, in those moments just before falling asleep, I said to my wife, "I think I'm addicted to the creative process." Without hesitation she answered, "I think so." "It's like some obsession." "The faucet keeps running." That's a good thing, right? I thought. I'm not so sure. For several years now. … Continue reading I’m a Junkie

I am not going to write about the Nobel Prize for Literature. There are plenty of others doing far better work on that subject. I am not going to write about the two winners recently announced, separated by yearly prizes. So much has already been written about the mess the Nobel committee made of things … Continue reading The Nobility of a Nobel Laureate

Eleven authors. Eleven stories. Eleven lasting impressions. This is the mantra I kept saying in my head over and over as I was pulling together volume 1 of a new venture: Writer Shed Stories.  (Available now!)  It's a Kindle literary journal designed to bring previously under-the-radar writers and new voices to the reader. I wanted to … Continue reading This One “Goes to Eleven!”

I attended a reading the other night at the college where I teach, Columbia College Chicago. It was one I promised myself I would not miss. When a National Book Award winner pays a visit, you make the time. Sigrid Nunez is a brilliant writer. The Friend is one of my favorite books of recent … Continue reading Rereading Rilke

Question: What if Rachel Cusk and Karl Ove Knausgaard made a baby? Answer: A new form of great novel writing would move through the generations. Two of the most fascinating writers today, in my opinion, are the Canadian-born, British writer Cusk, and the Norwegian Knausgaard. Both are rule breakers with deep insight. They have, some … Continue reading Cusk and Knausgaard Have a Baby