My first creative writing class got off to a cracking start. We took as our starting point, the question “why do I write.” The students spent 10 minutes writing why they write. I invited them to share afterwards and three

My first Sunday short story. The Bull The bulls head hung heavy on his thick neck. Breath bombs exploded out of his damp nose, across the dewy grass. the bull patrolled the field that separated our house from the farm,

I’ve always felt compelled to write fiction. I’ve started and shelved at least three bad novels. Believe me, they needed to be shelved. At about a third of the way into each of these doomed creations, the idea of spending

For the remainder of 2013, I’ve decided to immerse myself in short stories. I teach creative writing and have discovered that short stories are a great way to introduce my students, who are generally reluctant readers, to a wide range

I’ve just come out of depression, an experience that I have always dismissed as a kind of indulgence. Now I know better. For eight weeks, my world looked dreary and bleak; I felt enthusiasm for nothing. I knew something was