By luck and delusion, I’ve had a few humor pieces published on the internet over the last few months. It is exciting and thrilling and crippling all at once. Whenever a new piece is accepted, my husband takes me out for an ice-cream cone or a See’s candy — if I had known being good at writing meant free dessert, I would have hustled harder sooner. I’m like Pavlov’s dog but with chocolate and fame. […]

It’s so important to find your tribe. I found mine this past April when I attended the Erma Bombeck Writers’ Workshop for the first time. My tribe was in Dayton, Ohio. Who knew?
From the second I entered the hotel lobby, I felt I belonged amongst (is “amongst” still a thing?) these hundreds of funny writers from around the globe. I wasn’t the odd one because we were all beautifully odd. We were united in our love of Erma and all things humorous. […]

Being a guy these days is nothing to sneeze at, especially since we are often needled about what wimps we are. This point was made recently by a nurse who tickled my funny bone while giving me a flu shot.
“Men really are babies,” said Cristina Donnelly, who has been a registered nurse for 20 years, during which time she has seen guys scream, cry and even faint at the sight of a needle.
“I promise not to do any of those things,” I said as I rolled up my sleeve. […]

I think for me the mantra “You can write!” comes across as “You can, right?”
Meaning that I always wondered whether I could make people laugh on the page and the stage outside of the classroom.  Perhaps a challenge.  I don’t know exactly, still mulling that over.
The main thing, though, is that after three EBWWs, I’ve done the following:  Performed standup comedy with Wendy Liebman (who I remember seeing on the “Tonight Show” years ago and who is now a friend), […]

There’s so much good to say about EBWW and nothing bad — other than it’s ruined me for other workshops. How do I love thee, Erma? Let me count the ways.
I’ve attended three: 2014, 2016 and 2018. Mingling with hordes of strangers isn’t my thing, and that’s only one of my strengths. To steal from Nora Ephron, I always feel like a wallflower at an orgy of overwhelming decency, friendliness and support. It’s sooo good, […]