We have two large red oak trees in our front yard. I am the designated raker. Nobody is jockeying to take this post from me so I have plenty of time to muse while raking each fall. As in, “I…

My novel in progress includes mention of the Baron Manfred von Richthofen, aka the Red Baron, the Kaiser’s fearless flying ace, who reached cult status on both sides during World War I for his prowess in shooting down Allied planes.…

There is an astonishing similarity between editing and spring gardening. In both, you can work happily for a couple hours and a disinterested observer, one’s partner for instance, may not see much difference. But you do. For instance: The weeds…

I was recently cajoled, bamboozled, shanghaied, flattered into leading two Sunday morning studies of the Noah story. Not that I know much about the Old Testament, but my bamboozler presented as the ultimate argument: “We know you can tell stories.”…

I’ve done a treatment for my third novel, more than 1000 words, done research (many pages, multiple documents), a character sketch, a “plot sequence.” Even sketched out the first chapter and have a first line. So . . . let’s…

Don’t you sometimes feel that the standard disclaimer for historical fiction could also be true of Life?: This is a work of fiction. References to real people, events, establishments, organizations, or locales are intended only to provide a sense of…