Embracing Uncertainty, Solitude, and the Ticking Clock
I’ve been writing seriously for more than half of my life, and writing for the love of it ever since I could pick up a crayon and write two-word stories about my dog, a champagne cocker spaniel named Muffin who caused a great stir by biting a neighbor child beside…
“Everything falls apart eventually.” His words are a car on a hill, climbing gradually, curving at the top, racing down to dismal nothing. “What else is there to say?” The skin along his jaw quivers as he shrugs.
The bearded counselor looks at me as if I should know. But…
Waking up 20 years ago today in San Francisco
On September 12, 2001, San Francisco-based magazine 7x7 reached out to Bay Area Writers for impressions of the day before. This is what it felt like in the Castro on that morning, as the attacks were still unfolding.
This piece was written in the immediate aftermath, when we still had…
(the writer asserts that the empty space above represents all the stories of the known universe. He recommends that you stare at the blank white space for at least five minutes to see this particular story in its entirety.)
(If you are having trouble discerning where one story ends and…
7 Great Books on Craft and the Writing Life
Every writer must be a reader first, and the best education you can get is by reading — not only in the genre you want to write, but also in other genres. Reading widely is essential. If you want to write literary fiction, reading crime novels can give you a…
Why Evangelicals Fear the Mark of the Beast More than They Fear Death From Covid
If you’ve been paying attention, you know that some right-wing politicians and preachers are trying to convince constituents that the Covid vaccine is the Mark of the Beast. This is a dangerous provocation, as the one thing evangelicals fear more than a cancelled SEC football season is 666 (the numerical…
Dear Writers,
I hope you’re having a great summer, filled with good books and good writing days. I’m excited to share a bit of news with you: my new novel, THE WONDER TEST, published by Atlantic Monthly Press, just hit shelves this week.
This Silicon Valley thriller with a side…
“International spydom meets cuthroat suburban elitism…”
My new Silicon Valley novel, THE WONDER TEST, hits shelves today. This novel was a long time in the making, a final draft in hand months before the college admissions scandal hit the news. Although THE WONDER TEST isn’t about college admissions or cheating, it is about high-stakes education. …
How to Stop Revising and Start Submitting Your Novel
I moved to Paris in August of 2018 with a completed draft of a novel. Not just a completed first draft, but a draft that had been through several serious revisions. …
Adventures of a Dilettante Doge-Mom
A few months ago, I bought twelve dollars worth of Dogecoin at five cents per coin. I only did it to amuse my teenage son, who was making relentless fun of Doge bros. When I showed him the transaction, he started laughing hysterically and said, “You just threw away twelve…
Michelle Richmond
New York Times bestselling author of the THE MARRIAGE PACT and THE WONDER TEST. Books at michellerichmond.com Write with me at https://thenewMFA.com
