MY LATEST BLOG – June 2026

My 1940s Desk

When my first novel, Railway Avenue, was published, I started giving readings at libraries and bookstores and doing radio interviews. People would ask me, "What’s your process?” I didn’t know how to answer that. Do I have a process? I guess I do, and even back then I did, but never gave it much thought. I would usually respond that I just sit down and write. It has taken me the last 13 years to realize what my process is.

You may imagine that writers sit at a beautiful antique desk, overlooking a mountain or the ocean. For me, that is partially true. Now, and for the last ten years, I’ve been writing on what used to be my parents' mahogany 1940s vanity. And before that, I sat at a large folding table in the loft in my house in Crested Butte, Colorado, where the beauty of the Rocky Mountains surrounded me. When we sold that place, we moved to a rental condo in Santa Fe, New Mexico. That’s where I also had mountain and desert views. In Long Island, where I write now, I still sit at the antique desk, but my view is into the back of a bush, just outside my window. Not much to compare to my previous surroundings.

I don’t know how much the views added to my inspiration; I think sometimes they were more of a distraction. But I did write six books and a few years' worth of blog posts. With that said, let me explain my process.

Most mornings begin with a cup of tea as I sit down in my home office. My desktop looks like most people’s, with staplers, piles of papers to deal with later, and some office supplies. Footsteps from my desk, there’s a bookcase with reference books and other literature. A file cabinet with a printer on top sits to my right. The wall in front of me has a bulletin board and an extra-large calendar next to it. My laptop is front and center on the desk, waiting for me to continue wherever I left off the day before.

Of course, writing isn't always as simple as sitting down and typing. If I’m a little anxious about writing that day, I find some excuse to avoid starting. It is usually used to pay bills or check emails. Syd Field, with whom I studied screenplay writing in L.A, would always say, “When it's time to write, that’s when you decide to clean the house, wash the car, do the laundry, etc.” That’s a pretty accurate statement.

Eventually, I make the transition to writing. But before I write a single word, I usually reread the last page or two from the previous session, sometimes a whole chapter, editing as I read. It helps me get back into the rhythm of the story and reconnect with my characters. After a few minutes, it's almost as if they've been waiting patiently for me to return. As my fingers tap away on the keyboard, that’s when I’m the happiest and remind myself why I love writing. Right now, I’m enjoying writing this.

I usually hate my first drafts. But as much as I hate them, I’ve learned that they are not the finished products; instead, they provide a structure to build upon and improve.

Another phenomenon I recently told a writer friend about is how I get completely immersed in the chapter or scene I’m writing. I feel like I'm putting on a coat, which puts me in the place I’m writing about. Maybe it’s the actor in me that makes that happen. “Place” was something we learned to use to influence acting choices during a scene you’re in.

Because I'm currently writing a novel set during World War II, research has become almost a second job. I have spent hours reading about WWII, studying war photographs, examining maps, watching war movies, and trying to figure out what daily life was really like for soldiers and civilians. I want readers to feel they're walking the streets of Naples in 1943, hearing the sounds, smelling the smoke, and experiencing the uncertainty of wartime. I researched what the Allies' invasion of Italy was like. Would an American soldier have used a particular expression? These details may seem small, but together they create authenticity.

Then comes the biggest challenge every writer faces. Getting stuck. It happens to all of us. Usually, I know where the story is going, but suddenly my characters refuse to cooperate. A conversation sounds forced. The scene feels flat. The chapter doesn't work. That's when I push away from the keyboard and take a moment to think about it without staring at the page on the screen. Sometimes you have to get away from it for a few days and let it fester. I don’t sit down and write every day; I’m not that disciplined. But I think about it constantly until the book is completed.

I've discovered that my best ideas come while I'm relaxing with a glass of wine or something stronger, in the middle of the night when I can’t sleep (the book may be the cause), or while I'm watching a movie or TV show. Somehow, when relaxing, the solution quietly comes. Sometimes the answer is surprisingly simple. Delete a paragraph. Add or delete some dialogue. Let a character react honestly rather than say what I think they should say. Other times, I realize the story is going in a different direction than I want, and I either go with it or rewrite it.  

There is no better feeling than solving a scene that's been giving you trouble. Suddenly, the dialogue flows. The characters come alive again. One chapter leads naturally into the next, and before long, you've written far more than you expected that day.

Writing a novel isn't magic. It's patience, persistence, and rewriting the same page until it finally feels right. It's discovering that your characters sometimes know more than you do. They start talking to you. I love when that happens.

And when you finally type those two wonderful words—"The End"—you realize they really mean something else. That you've completed a journey.

I’ll be happy if this helps my writer friends. I’d be interested if you’d like to share your process.

Until next month, happy reading—and if you're working on a story of your own, keep writing. You never know where your next chapter will take you.

HAPPY 250^TH ANNIVERSARY OF OUR COUNTRY!

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