A few years ago, I was trying to write about a character who was so real to me in my head, but I couldn’t get her on paper well enough to show her to my readers adequately. After several attempts, I took a long walk, pondering how to bring her to life. I went to […]
Lynn Lovegreen | Playing with Description Read More »
Spring confession: my regular journaling practice has lapsed. Piles of full notebooks attest to years spent dutifully writing daily—not just accounts and takes on this one life’s plot, so to speak. Also fragments of overheard conversation, excerpts from books, found language from our text-heavy world, quirky idioms people say, poem or essay ideas, directions, lists,
Jeremy Pataky | Spring Confession Read More »
Lastweek in this spot, Andromeda started an important discussion on the plateaus we encounter as we learn. Writers are forever learning, which means we’ll forever be hitting plateaus. Eventually, we get past them. We get better—not as quickly as we like, but we do improve. Here’s how: Ganas: A term popularized among English speakers by
How Writers Improve Read More »
Ah, the New Year. At its launch, we make our best stab at ditching old habits and acquiring new, better habits that—with any luck—will propel us toward our goals. For writers, that means taking our writing to the next level—the “breakout” story, essay, or book. Ah, but the fail rate. By the calendar, we’re still
Deb: Take Your Writing to the Next Level Read More »
Two-hundred and sixty-five single-spaced pages in 11 point Helvetica font, one inch margins. 170,743 words. These are the statistics of my 2015 journal. The one that I write in each morning for precisely a half hour. I set a timer. Why am I telling you this? Most novels clock in somewhere between 75,000 and 125,000
A half hour each day Read More »
My new book won’t sell. Okay, that’s a bit of an exaggeration. A few readers will buy it, ones like those who’ve kindly endorsed it.* But I’m not expecting it to attract a huge number of readers. I expect you’re wondering: Why would I bother writing a book when I don’t expect to sell many
Deb: Why My New Book Won’t Sell Read More »
My husband, two children and friends were climbing the unfortunately named South Suicide peak several weeks ago, the day my much-anticipated copy of James Wood’s HOW FICTION WORKS arrived. With a bum knee, I didn’t at all mind waiting in the trailhead parking lot at Falls Trail for the mountaineers to come tumbling out of
Tired of Sarah News? Here instead: James Wood on HOW FICTION WORKS Read More »
