Inspired by Elmore Leonard’s 10 Rules of Writing, our survey of established authors’ tips for successful authorship continues Hilary Mantel, Michael Moorcock, Michael Morpurgo, Andrew Motion, Joyce Carol Oates, Annie Proulx, Philip Pullman, Ian Rankin, Will Self, Helen Simpson, Zadie Smith, Colm Tóibín, Rose Tremain, Sarah Waters, Jeanette Winterson Hilary Mantel 1 Are you serious…

Get an accountant, abstain from sex and similes, cut, rewrite, then cut and rewrite again – if all else fails, pray. Inspired by Elmore Leonard’s 10 Rules of Writing, we asked authors for their personal dos and don’ts Elmore Leonard, Diana Athill, Margaret Atwood, Roddy Doyle, Helen Dunmore, Geoff Dyer, Anne Enright, Richard Ford, Jonathan…

A year ago tomorrow our beloved Luna Isabella, our granddaughter, was born. Here are a few pictures to chronicle that time: Mom and Dad at the hospital early on April 4th, 2013: Luna shortly after birth: Luna, the next day, feeling a bit more relaxed:   Luna, Mom and Dad the next day, April 5th,…

The room is very quiet. Ray is already in bed, probably asleep, though I hear the television on upstairs. It is a faint, but I can hear voices and know that at this hour Ray is not on the phone. Cordelia is curled up in a nearby chair, asleep. She occasionally opens her eyes and…

This letter was written to one of my writing students who has just completed the first draft of her very fine novel and who is now embarking on the second phase of the novel-writing endeavor: revision. I have served as her writing coach for this process and this has been a deeply bonding experience for…

I am currently reading the book, Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain. This is exploring the world of the introvert. Though quiet is not a word associated with me (I suspect), I must admit that I truly am an introvert. An introvert, by the way, is…

Ray and I headed down to Disney Hall this afternoon to hear Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat major, Op 73, “Emperor” and Ravel’s Daphnis and Chloe (complete).  They were both exquisitely beautiful. Disney Hall’s Official Picture: Here are my pictures of the inside (clandestinely taken) and the Terrace: A View from behind the Orchestra…

Today Ray and I went for a hike and a picnic with friends of ours: Greg and Bronwyn Jamrok and their two adorable boys, Henry, almost 5 and Teddy, almost 2. They took us to Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area off of La Cienega Boulevard and we discovered a wonderful and huge recreational area that…

Small earthquake tonight. We were at Liz’s new apartment when we felt the floor moving and saw knickknacks wobbling. “What do we do?” I asked. Luckily by that time, the quake was over and no damage had been done. “For future reference, Mom,” Liz said, “go get next to a big piece of furniture and…

Who knew that researchers now have a name for girls not feeling confident about math skills? This is referred to as “stereotype threat,” which suggests that females underperform on mathematical and intellectual tests in part because of a concern that their performance might confirm negative stereotypes about their group. This translates to, girls under-perform on…