Word Problems for Writers
1. You have 20 minutes to write before your child wakes up, or you have to go to work, or your cat finally chews through your computer’s power cord. You turn on your computer and see that you have 5…
What NOT to Say When You Get “The Call”
As writers, we expect rejection. We are told we should embrace it, that we aren’t really writers until someone slams a door in our face. Rejection seasons us, toughens our skin. I think I may have internalized this advice a…
World Building: Where Are We? Part II
So you have a strategy or two for locating the reader in time. You know whether and why you’re setting your surreal, speculative or dystopian novel in the past, present or future. And you’ve pinpointed the era, the decade, maybe…
Lessons learned when writing under strict time constraints, or NaNoWriMo!
I’m a writer who loves a constraint. It is much easier to write when given a limiting factor than to write “anything, anything at all!” This year, I need to write 50,000 words by the end of the month. Wait,…
Don’t Be Scared, Just Be Careful: A Guide for Writing in an Identity PoV That Isn’t Yours
Marginalized characters are the cool thing now, amirite? Everybody wants to read them, everybody wants to write them. And while it’s nice to see so many privileged writers embracing characters unlike themselves and trying to incorporate them into their work,…
Grub Couple Reflects Upon Writing, Parenting, and Supporting Each Other Along the Way
Jennifer De Leon and Adam Stumacher are celebrated authors and teachers. Jenn is currently an Artist-in-Residence for the City of Boston and an English professor at Framingham State University. Adam is an award-winning educator in Boston and a writing instructor…