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My thoughts on Tablet’s article “Do Jewish Children’s Books Have a Problem...
Emily Sigalow, in Tablet this week, published an article entitled ”Do Jewish Children’s Books Have a Problem with Gender?” While she does make one point I agree with, that awards committee’s tend to...
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Personal Geographic
Some of my readers know already that I’m a big fan of National Geographic. For someone who studied anthropology for years, it’s pretty much like periodical crack. (Yes, periodical crack can be read...
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Rehab for my Lame-O story
Last week, I resubmitted the Lame-O story that stressed me out a couple weeks ago. I found an ending that was logical, got some advice from my husband and my writing buddies about how to make the main...
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Put some funny in your Adar
Purim is still almost six weeks away due to our extra Hebrew month of Adar this year, but it’s not too early to get silly. Writer Libi Astaire posted a hilarious “app” to repair your worst reviews....
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Announcing the 2014 The Whole Megillah Picture Book Manuscript Contest
Reblogged from The Whole Megillah: It's back! The Whole Megillah's contest for Jewish-themed picture book manuscripts! Kar-Ben publisher Joni Sussman will be judging. Of special interest: creative...
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Exploring other media to conquer writer’s block
So, earlier this week, I had a case of the blahs. I suppose I didn’t technically have writer’s block–the problem was more that I didn’t want to do anything, not that I couldn’t write–but the results...
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Coping with rejection, again.
Okay, so I’ve written about rejection a lot of times. Like, a whole lotta times. But since the story I revised and returned to my wonderful editor is still deemed insufficiently engaging by her, I’m...
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Reading books on writing–STORY by Robert McKee and how writers cope with limits
“But it’s about screenwriting!” I said. Story, by Robert McKee is a book that has come up again and again with my writing friends. A colleague even coached me in some of McKee’s techniques. And I’ve...
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You might have suspected trolls are crazy…it turns out they are.
I just had to share this brief but fascinating article about a study that demonstrated internet trolls are in fact sadists. Check it out here.
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More about McKee’s STORY: How two of my stories measured up
I’m still reading STORY and have so much to say on its utility that you’ll just have to bear with me for a few more posts on it. THE GAP Writer! Mind the gap! McKee has a theory that the material a...
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Most writers procrastinate. But why?
My best friend and fellow writer, Cy, sent me a link to an article in the current Atlantic about why writers are infamous procrastinators. Read it here and tell me what you think. And don’t forget to...
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How writing a novel differs from writing a screenplay: my last post on STORY
After reading my earlier posts on STORY, you might think I’m 100% sold on the book. I have to admit that I’m a fan, but I do have some quibbles, largely on the adoption of screenwriting techniques for...
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Reading is for everyone, even those with no bookshelf
In The L.A. Times, I just read a touching article by YA author Amy Goldman Koss about her efforts to offer reading material to the homeless. Her program is in a Glendale, California homeless shelter,...
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Time to be funny! Turn things upside down! It’s really Adar this time. I...
Okay, so for those who have no idea what the title of today’s post means, I’ll clarify: Don’t you wanna dress up for Purim? The Hebrew month of Adar contains the wacky holiday of Purim. The thing is,...
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Megillat Esther through the eyes of a 21st century writer, or It’s okay if...
This year, in preparation for Purim, I’ve been rereading the megillah at a class given by my LOR (local Orthodox rabbi). Of course, it’s not the first time I’ve read The Book of Esther, as it’s called...
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The Role of Periodicals in Jewish Life: Rob Eshman’s “Why We Write”
I read a fascinating essay in The Jewish Journal today. Publisher-about-to-go-on-sabbatical Rob Eshman relates a recent visit he had with young Israelis, when he had the opportunity to explain why...
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This Birdie Has Tweeted
I’m mortified. Having recently come to grips with the necessity of getting a Facebook account, I’ve now succumbed to Twitter. You can’t apply for the new Amtrak Artist Residency program without it, and...
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When writing shifts from a hobby to a job: my new essay in Tablet
Meow. Last year, I wrote on this blog that I struggled with creating the annual Purim newsletter I co-write with my husband. Well, this year, I wrote an essay about it for Tablet. You can read it here....
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My rant against depictions of Queen Esther in popular art and literature.
Tablet has an article up about the popularization of Queen Esther among Christians. It gave me the willies. Not because of the article’s writer, but because of what she was describing. While some of...
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My completely unsolicited review of “Megillas Lester”
After all my recent ranting and raving about Esther in pop culture, I watched a video this afternoon with the husband and kids that made me feel better. I’d first heard about it on Tablet, then on the...
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