Thanks for this, Julia. I am in the revision phase of my first novel and am at work on my second. It is like you are headed toward a cliff and you don't know if you're going to crash and burn or you're going to make it to the other side. These are all good tips to remember and practice.

West Columbia’s Jackson wonders why God chose him It’s fitting one of the Rev. Charles Jackson’s favorite Bible stories has to do with the boy who offers his lunch of a few fishes and slices of bread to Christ, who multiplies the offering and feeds thousands. Ever since he was just a child some six decades ago, Jackson…

Twelve messy thoughts create one lovely idea. The rain falls here down near where the South Fork and Catawba meet. The branches of the tea olive outside my window hang heavy with water, lime green offshoots reach up, seeking sunlight, but instead it’s a cloud-filled sky. …

A tiny love story from a night when the rain fell in Charlotte, NC, on a late June night in 2014. — At the Fillmore, musicians emerge from thick curtains and fingers pluck at strings and eyes turn upward and ears fill with rhythms and rhymes. Shafts of red and blue sneak from hidden banks, falling upon sweaty faces whispering of desires and regrets. I’d come for Ziggy Stardust and instead found…

South Carolinian tells how you can find your heritage in her home state — As a child, Dawn Dawson-House learned plenty about this country’s founding fathers. Missing were the exploits of South Carolina civil rights leader the Rev. Joseph Delaine and Robert Smalls, a former slave who represented the Palmetto State for five terms in Congress. Those lessons were learned at the family dinner…

Hi Niall. Thanks so much for taking the time to read and comment. Reader feedback is one of the greatest rewards of using this platform. Thanks again.

Seeing Carl was not unusual. Hearing from Carl was quite unusual. — “I dreamed of you in spectacular color.” Carl clutched his backpack to his chest with both hands. He took a step forward. Maybe he was aware of the others. Maybe not. “I dreamed of you in this very moment.” She raised her eyebrow. Seeing Carl was not unusual. …

My father? Well, he discovered Billy Beer — In the summer of 1978, I discovered RC Cola and baseball. I guess the soda that was a cheap knock-off of Coca-Cola had always been around, as was baseball, but that summer I consumed as much of both as humanly possible. The reason? The collector cans that featured the RC…

Best writing advice? Well, there is a Hemingway quote that hangs on my wall: “Write drunk. Edit sober.” I was recently asked to be a featured member of the Charlotte Writers’ Club. The feature, dubbed Meet A Member, runs in each monthly newsletter and is a great way to learn more about the fellow club members. I’ve been a member of the Charlotte Writers’ Club for nearly two…