The Social Media Conundrum
I have certain traits that typify a writer. I am an introvert. I prefer solitary days at my computer versus working with a team in an office. I would rather talk to my dogs than people on most days. I…
Category: The Writing Life
Happy Indie Story, Part Five: Well, Nobody’s Perfect.
It’s the last line in Some Like It Hot, one of the greatest American comedy films of all time: “Well, nobody’s perfect.” One of my favorite filmmakers, Billy Wilder, directed and co-wrote that film. When I lived in Los Angeles,…
It’s All in a Name — Finding Your Protagonist
I’d had trouble with my protagonist, Katya, all through the long nights last winter. My fellow Incubees puzzled over her motivations. Worse, I had a hard time seeing her clearly. I’d call her by her nicknames, Katka, Katyoosha, and Katenka, but…
The Goals of Writing from Modest to Spectacular
In one of my (as yet unpublished) novels, two best friends in their middle years set out to write their own novel to solve their respective problems. Aside from a general agreement that the end product will be a work…
How Novels Are Like Bad Eggs: Learning from Nature’s Mistakes
If you keep chickens and a novelist about the homestead then you know how similar egg laying is to novel writing. In a chicken an egg is formed over a 25-hour period. The yolk is released from the hen’s ovary,…
Traffic, Kevlar, and a Critique
When I first started taking writing classes, my friends would ask what they were like. I would explain in a lighthearted voice that the classes were centered around the discussion of someone’s work – the good, the bad, the indifferent….