by Susan Van Kirk | Dec 4, 2012 | Blog, reading, Susan Van Kirk, The Education of a Teacher
It has been two years since I finished writing and subsequently published The Education of a Teacher (Including Dirty Books and Pointed Looks.) At the time it seemed like a gargantuan effort, especially since I began it in 2004. But little by little, word by...
by Susan Van Kirk | Nov 14, 2012 | Blog, mysteries, Susan Van Kirk
One of my former students, who is an intelligent and voracious reader, asked me this question when I announced on Facebook that I’d like to hear questions about writing. I have a couple of...
by Susan Van Kirk | Nov 7, 2012 | Blog, Susan Van Kirk, writing
You may have noticed that recently I’ve been absent from this blog. The answer is easy to explain: I’ve had a lot of deadlines as well as editing for my work in progress (WIP). Those problems have taken up every nook and cranny of my brain....
by Susan Van Kirk | Oct 31, 2012 | Blog, Susan Van Kirk, suspense
A few weeks ago I asked some of my Facebook friends to send me questions about writing novels. I thought I would also use some of the answers for blog posts about writing. One of the questions was about a novel’s structure and its author’s decisions...
by Susan Van Kirk | Oct 22, 2012 | Blog, reading, Susan Van Kirk
It is early morning (5 a.m.), and I hope I never have to give up coffee as I age. I suppose coffee is like so many other sins I have had to relinquish because they affect my blood pressure, breathing, and weight. (I am still savoring...
by Susan Van Kirk | Oct 4, 2012 | Blog, Susan Van Kirk
Banned Books Week occurs this year from September 30 to October 6. As a former English teacher of thirty-four years, I have often taught challenged or banned books in a public high school. Some of my favorite banned books are The Great Gatsby, The Grapes of...
by Susan Van Kirk | Sep 27, 2012 | Blog, Susan Van Kirk
“Reflect upon your present blessings, of which every man has plenty; not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.” Charles DickensI was thinking about the topics of regret and gratitude this week as I worked on the first draft of my small town...
by Susan Van Kirk | Sep 20, 2012 | Blog, Susan Van Kirk, writing novels
One of the questions I’m often asked is, “How do you come up with the names of places in your writing?” So I thought I’d tackle that question today. Let’s examine some of the place...
by Susan Van Kirk | Sep 9, 2012 | Blog, Susan Van Kirk
I grew up at a drive-in theater, literally. A few years after my dad returned from WWII, my great uncle decided to buy land and build a drive-in movie theater outside our home town of Galesburg, Illinois. It was 1948 and this new outside movie idea was really catching...
by Susan Van Kirk | Aug 30, 2012 | Blog, Susan Van Kirk, writing
Anyone in the teaching profession knows the old joke about the pregnant teacher who can’t think of a name for the upcoming tiny arrival because each name she considers has a negative association with a former student. “I...
