The Ugly Duckling sucks
I like "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" and "Dumbo" a lot. These are stories in which protagonists who look decidedly different from their counterparts ultimately accept their oddities and differences, and…
Dan Kennedy is right. Reach out to people whose work means the world to you.
Dan Kennedy, writer, storyteller, and Moth host, tweeted earlier this week: (@DanKennedy_NYC) Gonna get better at sending notes to people whose work means the world to me. Feels fanboy, but beats…
How can you possibly have so many stories?
It's a question I get a lot. Whether it's stories that I'm sharing on the golf course or at the dinner table or on the stage, I always have a…
Things I do #11: I get angry at the other versions of me.
Assuming the theory of the multiverse is correct, I often find myself angry at the other versions of me living in alternate timelines where Trump isn't President and the world still makes…
5 things that you can do to help me sell books (and one unusual thing that I do)
A reader named Sarah sent me this photo with the accompanying message: "My friend wanted to go Black Friday shopping, and I couldn't help manipulating this shelf." It means a…
Cats and writers don’t mix
The end of 2017 is a busy time for me. I'm finishing my fifth adult novel. I'm finishing my first middle grade novel. I'm copyediting my nonfiction book on storytelling.…
The wealthy are often playing an entirely different game than the rest of us.
I like this explanation of the difference between the wealthy, the middle class, and the poor a lot: "Entrepreneurship is like one of those carnival games where you throw darts…
On this Thanksgiving, I choose to be thankful to Taryn.
I've made it an almost annual tradition to spend part of my Thanksgiving writing about the people, places, things, and institutions I am thankful for. Last year, I chose to…
I performed stand up comedy for the first time for one very important reason.
Last year, a friend asked me to try stand-up comedy with him. I said no and moved on with my life. But knowing I had to follow my "Say yes…
Bad boy and breakfast companion
His sister wasn't ready to eat breakfast, but Charlie wasn't alone. His furry pal kept him company as he devoured Cheerios, strawberries, and mango. Moments like these let me forgive and…