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…
Project Management Phrases I Bark at My Writing Mentee
Most people in my writing circle know that I am a former project manager. “Former” because when you’re a project manager most coworkers think that you are evil, sent from Hell to destroy their workday happiness with demands for goals…
Friday Feast: Crime Novels with Female Leads, Things Women in Lit Have Died From, Book Covers, and OMG Shakespeare
Last week, I disagreed with people who said that Pizza Hut’s new pigs in a blanket pizza is the downfall of civilization. Such opinions are subjective. And subjectivity is something we writers know something about. This week, along with other…
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,…
An Interview with Jonathan Papernick, Author of The Book of Stone
Jonathan Papernick’s debut novel, The Book of Stone, transports us to pre-9/11 Brooklyn to follow the course of Matthew Stone, a mentally unstable young man who loses a father and enters of a world of religious extremism. According to Dara…
Friday Feast: Books to Read This Summer (Or Whenever)
Ah, summer. The perfect season to eat soft serve, stretch out on the beach or lake shore, and read good books. Or you could sit inside the house in air conditioning and draw the blinds. Or sit in your favorite…