Into, Well…the Abyss
Into the Valley, by Ruth Galm, a 272 page novel, might be of interest to aspiring novelists for two reasons; one, it’s a terrific novel. And two, Ms. Galm’s manuscript was rejected over sixty times before she finally got it…
Author Archives: Michael Nolan
Jane Austen, Allen Ginsberg, and My Descent Into Madness
I had a teacher once at Stonehill College in southeastern Mass, and he was a pretty good teacher. It was a long time ago. Mr. Lawrence (pseudonym) taught me to love Conrad. He showed me how to read Joyce’s “The…
Whatever Happened to Foreplay?
This from Writer’s Digest: “How To Start a Novel Right.” (June 6, 2013) Including backstory in the opening pages is the same as saying to the reader, “Wait a minute—hold on. Before I tell you the story, first there’s something…
Burning in Boston
It’s been said lots of times, in lots of different ways, that any good novelist must have something burning inside him or her; something that absolutely has to be said. It burned white- hot in Richard Yates. Though racked in…