If you don’t have enough time or focus to write—who does?—read this. Do you have a “portable process?” That’s what prolific author Juliana Baggott calls it. Funny how the right label helps. Her advice resonates with something I’ve done on and off for years but underutilized until I made the process more deliberate. “Portable process” […]
Writing When You’re Not Writing by Andromeda Romano-Lax Read More »
“Mnemosyne, one must admit, has shown herself to be a very careless girl.” Vladimir Nabokov How many times have you criticized yourself for forgetting something? For me, it was the theme of my summer, as I returned to an unfinished memoir manuscript and found all the places where I would love to write more vivid
Unfairly Maligned Memory By Andromeda Romano-Lax Read More »
I’ve been known to give advice to writers—maybe too much of it! But it occurs to me that my best advice falls under the category “Do as I say, not as I do.” Read my top seven suggestions and consider sharing examples from your writing life in the comments below. #1. Start writing your acknowledgements
Do As I Say, Not As I Do by Andromeda Romano-Lax Read More »
Victor Hugo used to start his writing day by taking off his clothes and handing them to his valet, who wasn’t supposed to give them back until Hugo had finished his day’s work. That’s how the story goes, anyway. Now, some of that story may not make perfect sense—um, didn’t Victor Hugo have another set
Carrots and Stickks by Andromeda Romano-Lax Read More »
When my first creative book, a travelogue called Searching for Steinbeck’s Sea of Cortez was published a million years ago, I was already working on the first chapters of the next book—not because I knew it’s good to be in the middle of one new thing to distract yourself from the sales and review outcomes of the
Next week, my first suspense novel, The Deepest Lake, will be published. It’s my sixth novel and a big departure from my previous genres of historical fiction and literary fiction. I don’t plan to write only suspense novels from this point, but I’m acutely aware that plunging into this genre has taught me lessons I’ll
Tell me, what is it you plan to do / With your one wild and precious life? Mary Oliver Today I want to talk about rabbit holes, both good and bad. Last month, I fell down a bad rabbit hole after reading about a forthcoming book and becoming interested in its author. Long story
In twenty years of submitting novels for publication, I’ve never received an email from an agent or editor saying, “I can’t take this manuscript, the setting wasn’t clear enough.” Or “…the descriptions weren’t vivid enough.” Or “…I wasn’t dazzled by your use of metaphor or simile.” All of those elements are important, and I do
The Top Reason for Novel Rejections by Andromeda Romano-Lax Read More »
What’s your favorite Groundhog Day phrase—the thing you repeat ad nauseum as if expecting life to change when it won’t? Mine is: “Where did the day go?” Or maybe: “I got two-thirds of my goals accomplished today.” But I’d be even more lost if I didn’t track my writing and reading time, something I’ve talked
With the New Year underway, you may be charging ahead with vigor or smelling the first smoky whiffs of resolution burnout. Either way, you may find yourself wondering, “Enough with all the lists and goals. Can’t I just be happy?” Chasing happiness is usually a futile endeavor, experts tend to agree, especially when one is
