Subtitle: Fear of Finalizing, Led't's see if I can get through this post cleanly. Newbies as we are, I'm sure we're all conversant with...

A month or so ago I wrote about my sudden new friendship with Rachel Cusk, an award winning British author who sent me an email about how much she liked my latest novel. Only problem was the email was from a scammer pretending to be Ms. Cusk who I have no doubt remains completely unaware of me. Now I don't want to blow my lede here, so here's a recent email from a Brianna Fairman: From the Neonatal ICU to Ethiopia — Putnam's Interest in Sula's Sacrifice I Am Editor Brianna.

== Because I've been asked about my writing process and because it's too windy dusty and cool outside for a bike ride, and because I've already walked the dog this morning, I've decided to share what I know about writing consistently, We've all been advised that 's the key to successful writing--to be disciplined, butts in the chair daily, make it a habit, etc., So this morning I've recorded my not unusual process for you. First I had to get into my study. That was diffic

Much has been written about how horrific AI is for creativity especially for writers of fiction. Here's in a recent editorial on the subject by Colson Whitehead. Others in the publication industry are clutching their pearls about the discovery of authors writing some, well almost all, of their novel using AI. (Further gasps): Such offending works have been withdrawn from publication. Let's be clear--in my website blog, I've have already disclosed the strictly limited use o

Let me tell you what I learned from AI about my erstwhile friend: "Rachel Cusk is the author of nine novels, three non-fiction works, a play, and numerous shorter essays and memoirs. Her first novel, Saving Agnes, was published in 1993. Her most recent novel, Kudos, the final part of the Outline trilogy, will be published in the US and the UK in May 2018. "Saving Agnes won the Whitbread First Novel Award, The Country Life won the Somerset Maugham Award and subsequent books ha

Since my third novel, Saving Julian , was published in early 2024, AI has learned a lot. For example, on August 8, 2024, Curtis Sittenfeld wrote an article in the NY Times entitled, An Experiment in Lust, Regret, and Kissing (favorite subjects of hers as well as her readers) here . She wrote a 1,000-word short story based on the prompts her readers had supplied. Meanwhile, her editor instructed ChatGPT to use the same prompts to write a 1,000-word beach-read story in the sty

A Glimpse into the NICU Series As some of you devoted readers know, Baby Doe is the first novel in the NICU series about my doppelganger, the feckless Eli Kurz MD. In Baby Doe, Eli has a cameo role as the smart but overbearing and career-focused senior resident presiding over a NICU housing a newborn who creates an impossible set of life-or-death problems. In the second book, DiBene's Offer, set in the 1990s, Eli tries to reboot his faltering career at Harvard after neglectin

Meaning of title? We'll get to that. Baby Doe, the first novel I've written, was published five years ago. Since then two more novels in...

Back in August I posted ab0ut a bad review on Amazon for my latest novel in the NICU series, Saving Julian . The review written by a NICU...

A wowser of a recent book I've read is Tomorrow Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin. The book is both brilliant and compelling. When I rhapsodize thusly with friends, some ask why. Many reasons--fascinating characters, gaming as a metaphor for work and yes life, family, choices, physical disability, creativity, S &M, collaboration, success, caring, ambition, maturity and lack thereof, and of course it's a multifaceted love story. But that's not the point. The author's b

I'd heard somewhere that someone had the idea that art's purpose is to evoke strong feelings, so I asked ChatGPT about it. Yes, they/it...

Will be published in next month or so. Above is the front cover, and here's a draft of back cover verbiage: A troubled doctor, an...

I'm in a phase where I'm reminded of how much fun writing can be. That implies writing has its share of drudgery. To wit, Saving Julian,...

Why hasn't a blog appeared on this website appeared in a while? Writers' note. From Merriam Webster: Most grammarians feel...

So many ways to make a novel, but the basic tools and building materials, except as used by those more experienced than us, should be...

For those of you who've landed here thinking I finished my second novel using AI--wrong. Sorry. Maybe next time. And "finish" is not the...

Four months since last blog post? Shameless! Why the hiatus? Two things. Learning advertising for first novel with some success. Sales...

Folks, I've got to tell you I've been busted for the crime of the century. Plagiarism?--nope. Procrastination?--not busted yet on this...

Still contending with Covid that takes the world back all the way to flu epidemic in the early 1900's, and a psychotic attack on Ukraine...

In this now almost two year old series of posts on the craft, feelings, costs, benefits, advice, etc involved with writing a new novel,...