Alaskan writer Jim Rearden died on February 18, 2017 at the age of 91. Read Homer News coverage here. Somewhere in the night it occurred to me that our mentors always ultimately leave us. This is more than anything a statement of simple mathematics. When you’re a baby writer and just starting to find your […]
Kris Farmen | Thoughts on Jim Rearden Read More »
Cheered on by readers who told me that an essay dedicated to old friend Norman Wilkins “worked,” though it was written in various moods and moments over about 20 years, I’m going to take a moment to finger that miracle. The essay is a small bucket of improbables—love for the consummate knowledge of two woodsman
Mary Odden | On Writing the Essay “March” Read More »
Description is a tricky thing. We all know a good one when we see it, but it’s not always easy to come up with one yourself. And of course, your voice and genre will determine the kind of description you use. If Charles Dickens is your style, you might like this detailed description from Bleak
Lynn Lovegreen | Playing with Description Read More »
Last year and the year before, I invested in do-it-yourself writing residencies. Don’t get me wrong: I love and appreciate writing residency programs. I’ve been fortunate enough to have been awarded four, all of which granted up to a month of a free and comfortable space to do nothing but write, and read, and daydream,
Guest Blogger Cinthia Ritchie | Should You Consider a DIY Writing Residency? Read More »
I am always surprised when I hear fellow writers admit that they are not avid readers. The reason they often give is a lack of time, or that they’d rather not let another author—especially a disciple of the same genre or subject matter as theirs—influence their own style. Similarly, there seem to exist more bloggers
Michael Engelhard | The Writer as Reader Read More »
Have news, events, or opportunities you’d like to see listed here? Email details to info (at) 49writers.org with “Roundup” as the subject. Spread the word. Your message must be received by close of business the Wednesday before the roundup is scheduled to run at the latest. Unless your event falls in the “Opportunities and Awards” category, it
Literary Roundup | Feb 17-March 2, 2017 Read More »
Two summers ago, I failed spectacularly at almost every writing project I attempted. I failed at my novel rewrite, opting to not follow my editor’s suggestions (because, you know, even though she was at a major house and even though I’m just a skinny Alaskan, I was sure that I knew more than she did).
Guest Blogger Cinthia Ritchie | How Following a Training Plan Improved my Writing Read More »
Thanks to all who turned out last week for a special Reading & Craft Talk Series event, this time held downtown at the 49th State Brewing Co. The event paired Kathleen Dean Moore and Libby Roderick on stage. Kathy is a philosopher and award-winning author best known for books about our cultural and spiritual relation
Jeremy Pataky | “What do you do when the life rafts are burning?” Read More »
Let’s say you’re writing a novel, and somehow—maybe owing to the 24/7 news cycle or to the protest signs leaning against a wall in your garage or to the hours you’ve spent organizing indivisible enthusiasts—you come upon the idea of writing a narcissist into your fiction. Don’t do it. A narcissist operates like a
Deb Vanasse | Unfit for Fiction Read More »
I did something I thought I’d never do: I hired a beta reader to help with the beginning chapters of my second novel. I’d been struggling for months, with no end in sight. I was literally making myself sick with the worrying and the obsession. I had, no exaggeration, over twenty takes of the
Guest Blogger Cinthia Ritchie | Why I Hired a Beta Reader Read More »
