Erin Cleary

A well-thought metaphor can deepen an author’s meaning or inspire an entire story. Metaphors can be new and surprising or teeter on the...

For the last three years, I’ve chosen a word to help guide and challenge me in the year ahead. This word relates specifically to my...

A few weeks ago, on a steamy, spring afternoon, my husband and I sat in the car in the Home Depot parking lot. Our trunk was full of...

When I lost my father one month ago today, it was not unexpected, but it was a surprise. I will save my tribute to the man for another...

I'm participating in Susanna Leonard Hill's 11th Annual Halloweensie Writing Contest. All entries must be Halloween stories for kids of...

All the years I’ve been writing, I’ve participated in critique groups. These friends have offered support and honest, sometimes painful...

Every summer my family spends a week at the beach. My favorite activity is a daily walk along the shore looking for heart-shaped rocks,...

Participation trophies. Kids get them so they'll feel better when their team loses. Well, I am writing to tell you they can make adults...

Like March, April will be another month of great writing activities. My March metaphor continues as I work to boil down my writing to its...

One great thing about being a part of the KitLit writing community is that there are a lot of activities and contests that help writers...

I have a piece of stone that I found somewhere; I don’t remember where. It is a flat piece of slate that has a flat edge on which it can...

It’s the last day of 2020. Does this require some sort of momentous blog post? Does the year 2020 even deserve to go out with any...

Three A.M. on the first day of December, I lay awake thinking about how I was officially three hours late in getting my November blog...

We recently adopted a second dog. Luna has fit into our family so seamlessly that it’s hard to remember a time she didn’t live with us....

The falling yellow leaves are beginning to invade my outdoor reading space. Now sweeping them off the small deck is part of my daily...

The very first time I sat down in front of a computer was in middle school. We were scheduled in pairs to sit at the two new Macintosh...

Each year in my town, we have a great garbage day. It’s basically a free yard sale day, located at the curb in front of many homes in...

It came! My first rejection letter in what I assume will be a long line of rejections. Two days ago, I submitted my first manuscript. I...

Have you ever done a Google search of your own name? It can be enlightening and a little bit frightening. When I planned to create a...