About

Writing and Skiing are two passions of mine. Skiing requires training, lessons, tips and advice. The most important part of improvement is practice. You start small. You hold your wedge down the green circles. You learn parallel, and soon you’re carving down blue squares. After some time, you’re negotiating tight trees, dropping 10-foot cliffs, and floating in feet of powder on a black diamond.
 
Writing is no different. You start easy and progress.
 
As I grew into an expert skier, I found that coasting along a green circle didn’t have the thrill like when I first started. Blue squares soon became less than thrilling as I advanced to black diamonds. 
 
And as I grew as a writer, I felt the same way. I had a lot of fun learning the basics. But most of the blogs, books and advice out there were for beginning writers. It’s good information… but what’s next? I felt stuck in the middle. I knew all the basics, but couldn't yet publish my writing and didn't understand some of the more advanced nuances of the craft.
 
That’s why I started Blue Square Writers Studio. I wanted to create a place where intermediate writers could find others like themselves, find others who were equally passionate and facing the same issues. I wanted to document my learning as I discovered more about writing. I wanted to teach others what we really mean when we talk about Voice or Character or Point of View. What does Voice in writing really mean? How do I deliberately create a Voice in my writing? What does it mean to shift Point of View? How do POV and Voice work together to make Character? I wanted to concretize these abstract ideas.
 
To accomplish this, Blue Square works directly with writers to help them improve their craft. We're not a publisher, so we're not here to make money. And we're not copy editors here to fix your commas. Blue Square genuinely helps you become a better writer. Next, my blog, The Blue Square Writer, details some of my experiences as I learned to answer those nuanced questions, along with some random musings on how I ventured from green circles, through blue squares, and how I ended up on the black diamonds. I'll discuss all the aspects of writing I've experienced - from my first creative writing class in college, through community workshops, to my first publications and earning my MFA.