1,000,000 Words
The other day I was talking to my partner, Todd, as we commuted on the MBTA (red line represent!) He asked how many books I’d written. I began the sophisticated process of counting on my hands. Nine. I’ve written (not…
Tag: Inspiration
‘Tis the Season for Discipline
Fortunate are the writers whose first germ of a novel is a plotline, a concept, a scene, or a theme – ideas that provide a starting point, the bare bones, a guide. Then there’s me. Having grown up in Wisconsin with…
Craft on Draft: Writing Fiction from Real Life
At last month’s Craft on Draft event Michelle Hoover, Emily Ross, and Dawn Tripp shared how truth inspired their fiction. In addition to reading excerpts from their novels and revealing what was influenced by fact, the authors selected the event’s…
Turning Music into Narrative
It’s no secret that 2016 has been a rough year for pop musicians. Did someone set off a slow-acting neutron bomb that kills platinum-sellers? Paul Kantner (Jefferson Airplane), Merle Haggard, David Bowie, Maurice White (Earth, Wind & Fire), and Prince,…
Friday Feast: Inspiration, Page One, Unlikable Female Protagonists, Straight Pins, and Falling in Love with a Reader
Happy first full week of January 2016! How are y’all feeling about your writing resolutions? My only resolution this year is to commit to promoting the books that I read and love, especially those books that don’t get as much exposure for whatever…
Happy Indie Story, Part Eight: My Top Five Indie Author Lessons
At the end of every year, I look back on the past several months at what I’ve done, what I’ve learned, and what I can do better. In honor of that and the new Chris Rock film, Top Five, which…