Every revision has its own character. There’s the first messy revision, during which you try to cull from the confusing mass of pages some sort of a narrative. The second brings with it massive structural changes (in my case, cutting…
I completed the GrubStreet Novel Incubator Program this April and when I look back at that yearlong whirlwind, I still struggle to catch my breath. Most daunting was not learning so many (new to me) literary terms. Nor was it…
Congratulations to those hard-working authors who will see their novels on bookstore shelves — physical, digital, or both — in the near or distant future. Whether your book has already launched, will launch within the next year, or you’re still…
What do you mean editors don’t think they can sell the epic, decade-spanning horror slash literary mashup of the painting my Grandma found in Albuquerque that carried the soul of a young girl who died in a fire and haunted…
I am writing this blog entry while on vacation. So, naturally I am thinking about my next meal. When we consider food and its role in stories, food-themed movies come to mind—Babette’s Feast, Big Night, Chocolat, Julie and Julia, and…
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…