What is a good man? That question always makes me think of a story I wrote as a newspaper reporter in Alaska in December 1990. My wife and I had just decided to start a family. Here’s the first paragraph: “Carl Stalker died battling a seven-foot polar bear with a pocket knife Saturday, but he didn’t lose …
I’m fascinated by stories of abrupt, drastic life changes. They light up the far corners of what’s possible. That knowledge can be scary or hopeful, depending on how you feel about change. The change Matt Rafferty made would stretch plausibility in fiction, but he did it and he’s still living it decades later. I met …
Bad editing is torment. Office workers know what I am saying. After unclear initial direction, a document goes around and around, everyone making petty and arbitrary changes, and then changes to the changes, and sometimes people make changes to their own previous changes. It only stops with the deadline, when the document is different but …
Yesterday I completed final revisions on two books, both of them projects I started more than five years ago, in 2019. A feeling of vacancy comes with the departure of these constant life presences. After writing many books, this strange stage of creation is a familiar part of the pattern. And understanding the shape of …
I was asked again today how to become a writer—how did I do it? My first piece, a short story, was published in the Southeastern Sun and Salmon Wrapper, a Juneau alternative paper, when I was in third grade. I had only recently learned to write, but I already thought of myself as a writer. …
Adult literacy is dropping in the rich nations of the world. An international study shows that about a third of American adults 16 to 65 have reading, math, and reasoning skills no higher than a third-grade level. Meanwhile, machines expertly assume tasks of writing, math, and problem-solving. Literacy especially concerns writers, because writers need readers, …
Writing projects sometimes start at odd places. I met John Upton in a coffee shop near the Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York City when he started me out guiding journalists to be better science writers. Early in my process of transplanting myself to New Jersey from Alaska, more than five years ago, I …
Shorter sentences aren’t always easier to understand, whatever you may have heard from your composition teacher or writing software. The best writers generate meaning using sentence length as a stylistic tool. I don’t advocate complex sentences for every kind of writing—billboards, shopping lists, and social media posts should be as direct as possible—but simplicity itself …
Some writers I coach need me to be a teacher, mentor, or therapist. Others are just looking for someone to tell them the truth. I might make more money by lying with promises of publishing success. There’s a whole industry of folks who take advantage of hopeful writers. I’d rather be honest and help you …
Over the years I’ve learned and lived a lot of Alaska history. As I look at what’s written, some of what I would say is missing. So I’ve decided to write a history book. On Tuesday I’ll be giving a talk on my ideas via Zoom. The link is at the end of this newsletter. …
