When to Let That Novel Go
I recently returned from my annual writing retreat with my fabulous writing group, the Salt + Radish Writers. We go every year and spend four days in a rambling, old Maine house on the beach. We have a schedule, stick…
Category: Rewriting
Stop Being Precious, Start Being a Writer
Years ago I’d had my first novel published and was feeling pretty darn good. I’d been invited to the Midwest Literary Festival in the capacity of Author with a capital “A.” I was on panels, dispensing wisdom and truths of…
Sunk Costs: The Value of Quitting
The slogans zing at writers everywhere we go, from tree-dangling kittens on social media to well-meaning cocktail party guests. Keep the Faith. Never Give Up. Butt in Chair. And we spoon feed it to ourselves as well, suckling at the…
Dig Deeper and You Might Find What You’re Looking For
At this year’s Muse and The Marketplace I will be peddling (presenting? offering? begging acceptance for?) my YA historical novel, Big Shot. This will be my second time at Muse with this novel, though its first as a Young Adult…
Friday Feast: Race, Research, and High-Stakes Choices of Debut Novelists; How to Tell People What Your Book is About; Character Desire; Rewrite Caves; and 7 Steps to a Happy Revision
We kick off this week’s links with a fantastic discussion between two debut authors. I always love it when writers interview other writers because of the “me too!” moments that occur, such as the struggle to find the right POV…
The Virtual Afterlife of Words: Confessions of a 21st Century Writer
I confess. I don’t kill my darlings. I bury them alive. All those loved and discarded words. Full paragraphs and partial lines, whole pages and single, unwanted words. I gather them up, and I deposit them into a document that…