April Davila - Author
I’m sitting at the airport in Las Vegas and two things have caught my attention. The first is that I can entertain myself for a while by taking pictures of people’s shoes as they walk by. The second is that the people on either side of me are both … [Continue reading] about Entertaining Myself at LAS International
Writing a novel takes a long time. As my teacher Mark Sarvas told me once, you have to celebrate milestones along the way, because if you wait to celebrate just one final step (say, publication) you have to wait a long, long time. So I am very … [Continue reading] about Celebrate Milestones
This evening is my last UCLA Extension class for the foreseeable future. Over the past six months, I’ve taken two extension courses, Novel IV and Novel V, with Mark Sarvas, and they have both been great classes. I have mixed feelings about being … [Continue reading] about Goodbye UCLA
Way back in September, I was feeling pretty low. I had just taken a day job I thought was perfect for me, and I couldn't figure out why I was so miserable. My therapist at the time gave me an assignment. He told me to write, without thinking, my top … [Continue reading] about Reconsidering the Day Job
As I writer, I have often heard these two bits of advice: don't be afraid to steal, and, find your own voice. I will admit, though, that I have never heard them uttered in the same breath. In case you're new to the idea of stealing, check out … [Continue reading] about The Act of Artistic Stealing
As you know, I recently ran my first half marathon. Turns out, I’m actually pretty good at distance running. I enjoy it. In fact, I don’t really start to enjoy running until about the third mile. If someone had told me, back in high school, when … [Continue reading] about After The Half Marathon
For a long time I thought reading like a writer meant simply reading a lot. That's part of it. However, while reading is critical for writers, passively absorbing stories isn't enough. To really read like a writer, you have to stop trusting … [Continue reading] about Reading Like a Writer