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…
Category: Writing
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Friday Feast: Fellow Author Book Reviews, First Book Tour Calamities, That $3.4 M Deal, How to Be an Unpublished Author, and Bookish Cakes
Most writers would rather run naked through the streets than talk about money (unless it’s a lack thereof) or their *real* feelings regarding the ups and downs of the writing and publishing life. Bless those writers who confess their true…
Forgetting: What Childbirth and Novel Writing Have in Common
A lot of comparisons get made between childbirth and writing a novel. At the end of each process you’ve created something you love. You feel protective of it. You want to tell everyone about it. Perhaps share too many photos…
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….
Why Write Fiction?
One of the more interesting classes I’ve taken during the course of my writing career was a class on novel structure in my MA program. We read six novels, all of which had unique structures, some wholly fitting of the…