As I've said elsewhere, my philosophy is that a good critique or edit not only improves the current piece, but will make your next piece better, too. It does more than heighten tension in a particular scene; it makes you more aware of how to tune suspense in your future writing. It does more than give a sentence punch; it will make the next sentences you write punchier, too. A good critique helps not only the current work, but you as a writer.

I've been critiquing manuscripts for twenty-two years now. A lot of them have gone on to do pretty well, as you can see by clicking around in my testimonials. Critiquing is work I enjoy. A fresh manuscript, a pen, a cup of tea, and life is good.

I started down this road when I was still a teenager, and The Colorado College gave me a grant to study homelessness. I published articles and became a popular speaker on the subject for a while. One of the stories I wrote about a tramp I knew got me into the M. F. A. writing program at the University of Arkansas. This was the first graduate writing program in the South, founded by that first generation of Iowa graduates. I've been writing and editing ever since, and teaching a fair bit, too. I've taught everything from graduate-level grammar and literature to elementary-school poetry writing, in the United States, China, Japan, Ireland, and England.

I've been in San Francisco for the past fifteen years, where I'm part of the vibrant writers' community. I live with the talented Holly Shumas, who wanted to write a testimonial for me, but I wouldn't let her. In my spare time, I'm a Class A chess player with a rating of 1938, and I've pedalled across a couple continents.

Drop me a line. I love to talk about writing.