That Name Rings a Bell
Like a lot of writers, I have a little notebook where I jot down stuff that pops into my head. Sometimes it’s an idea or phrase. Sometimes it’s nothing more than a single word. For instance, the last note I…
Category: Craft Discussion
Don’t Show OR Tell: Evoke
“Show, don’t tell.” It’s likely the most common writing advice out there and with good reason. Readers want to experience the world of your story, not have it dictated to them. But it’s worth pushing this advice a little further,…
Read and Reread
“For all I know, writing comes out of a superior devotion to reading.” Eudora Welty, On Writing I just did something I haven’t done in years. I read two novels in the span of two weeks. Joy! I fussed and…
10 Ways to Paint a Portrait With Words
I often struggle with describing my characters. Right now, I’m banging my head against a wall trying to describe a teenage boy who has visions as more than a blond hunk. This is all the more frustrating because my mother…
Friday Feast: Writing Race into Fiction, Characters Who “Just Happen to Be Gay,” “Edgy” Scenes, and Hong Kong’s MFA Crackdown
It’d be so lovely to just write write write and not worry about reader perceptions. You can! That’s the first draft (and the fourth and fifth and so on, if you’re me). And while no one can tell you how…
Great Endings, From The Beginning
I did a dumb thing this week. After swearing up and down for months that we were going to get rid of cable, my husband and I finally pulled the trigger. Because who needs it? Waste of money. Bigger waste of time….