Welcome to Pairings

Let's say you're not from Texas. (Cue Lyle Lovett) But you got here quick as you could. Now you want to learn how to be a Texan. Here's how.

Perhaps only a lifetime environmental advocate could write a passionate 20th-century historical novel, packed with Hanford's nuclear...

Today is National Voter Registration Day . Think about the benefits of being registered to vote…there are many! But here are my Top Five...

Reading (and writing) historical fiction is generally my jam. But there are lots of other novels that nudge me outside of my comfort zone.

Knowing when to stop writing is a lot easier than starting to write in the first place. But it's simple: You just have to show up.

Don’t let fear become the biggest influence in your creative life. Find your commitment to painting and writing by delving into your fears.

Crowded out by more robust tools, typewriters have vanished from our desks. But not our back yards.

Looking for some unique new traditions? Here are seven ways to celebrate Christmas Texas-Style, like they do in Austin, Texas.

Don’t fight it. Creativity is a choice. Once you make it, the ups, and the downs, are the fun part.

There are miles and miles of Texas, and you can learn a lot about what Texans love about their great state in six days on the road.

Life provides obstacles, but you can choose what you focus on

In 2006 I wrote this ode to my creative spirit, "Artist's Poem," and found renewed inspiration.

Hitting the road is part of my creative process. And I never pass by a historical marker without braking.

"The work never never matches the dream of perfection the artist has to start with" — William Faulkner

Inspiration strikes in strange and unexpected ways. But when it doesn’t strike, there are three tricks to juice it along.

When you let go, you create space for something else to move in to your life, as Holiday Mathis told me in my horoscope.

Embrace your dual gifts: you can inhabit two worlds, and you can slide between them with ease. It’s just what writers do.

In one short paragraph author Flannery O'Connor nails down her work ethic — one that will motivate your creative soul.

Inspiration comes from many places. No use pretending it all comes out of our heads with no other stimulation. We rely on influences.

To ignore a creative funk is to imperil your creative stamina. Here's out to take a time out to tend to your creative soul.