Susan Henderson

Question of the Month: Goal Check-In

Published on 2012-02-05 18:01:13

Remember how we talked about our writing goals? How are you doing? Want to report any progress or any trouble you’re having with reaching them? My writing goal is to have a first draft of my book before my kids are out of school for the summer, and my non-writing goal is to get back [...]

Question of the Month: 2012

Published on 2012-01-01 18:01:13

What are your writing goals for the new year? They say the more specific you are, the more likely you are to reach them. I’ve learned again and again that time doesn’t just materialize, that wanting something doesn’t make it happen. You have to create time for the things that are your priorities and commit [...]

Question of the Month: Wish List

Published on 2011-12-04 18:01:16

What’s on your holiday wish list? You might accuse me of being a scrooge for saying this, but I’m not nuts about presents. Or holidays. Everyone in my family works hard. The last thing I want to do is make holiday time feel like more work instead of vacation. I like our house without the clutter [...]

Question of the Month: 5 Things

Published on 2011-11-06 18:01:02

Tell me 5 things you can see or touch at this very moment that make you happy. I was having lunch at Panera the other day and found myself seated next to a whole table full of cancer survivors. They were clearly rallying around a woman who was just at the start of her treatment, [...]

Question of the Month: Nuts and Bolts

Published on 2011-10-02 19:01:42

Does it help you to know the behind-the-scenes nuts and bolts of the book business, or does that make it all seem more depressing? * I debated whether to bring the nuts and bolts of royalty statements here because so many people are protective of their sales numbers. But I’ve been pretty transparent throughout the [...]

Question of the Month: Life’s Trials

Published on 2011-09-05 19:01:20

What have you learned from life’s biggest trials? * Notice the spurs on the rubber boots? In 2001, we’d only been living in New York for a year. Our boys started pre-K and Kindergarten that fall. Our youngest (I’ll call him Small) was into costumes and our oldest (T) had started a collection of cicada [...]

Coming Soon…

Published on 2011-09-04 17:47:50

I have so much I want to tell you about what I learned during my internet-free sabbatical and all about Africa and various things my family is up to these days. I think I’m going to save it for next month. I’ve decided, instead, to really take this 9/11 anniversary to heart, and I’ll be [...]

The Internet-Free Summer Vacation

Published on 2011-06-14 19:01:36

So I got a big talking-to from a couple of the people who care about me the most. The gist of it: I take on too much at the expense of my own work and family. There are only so many hours in the day. Say a writer is supposed to meet a deadline and [...]

Question of the Month: Work in Progress

Published on 2011-06-05 19:01:29

How’s your progress going? Are you outlining? Winging it? Do you set mini goals for yourself? I’d like to hear how you’re approaching your work in progress. As UP FROM THE BLUE continues to have a life of its own (that’s the cover of the Dutch version that was just released in May), I am [...]

Question of the Month: That Urgent Voice

Published on 2011-05-01 19:01:58

What is the urgent thing you need to say that’s at the core of the story you’re currently writing? You don’t have to answer here, but see if you can distill the idea into a single sentence. And then read that sentence every time you sit down to write. * In March, I took a [...]