My husband has a gift. I'm not sure what to call it; it's part curiosity, part smarts, and part self-confidence. If that sounds confusing, here's an example.

Our daughter bought a row house in Richmond, Virginia, and of course we motored down to see it. As she showed us the unique setup, rooms set one after another in a space 90' x 20', she mentioned that most of the houses on the block had pocket doors between the front parlor and the second. She was slightly disappointed that hers had a...

A year ago we bought a second home in Florida. The refrigerator works fine, but it was dated and pitted, and we discussed what to do to make it look better. Online I read that people paint their old fridges. That sounded intriguing, but I wanted to talk with someone who might know the pros and cons, so I went to the paint desk to ask.

Me: I'd like your expertise on a matter. Have you heard of painting a refrigerator?

Man: What? Paint what?"

Me: I've read in several places that you can paint a...

I have a complaint about storytelling, or actually, more of a demand: Authors, tell the story!

When I submitted my first book to an agent, she sent back a terse two sentences scrawled in the margin of my cover letter: "Spent too long on background. Get to the story." I did, she took the book on, and eventually, MACBETH'S NIECE was sold to a publisher.

I'm tired of a book starting with a bang that gets me interested and then stopping the action to go back for long scenes that explain the...