The beginning as a place mark:
We sit in front of the keyboard, poised, with an idea for a book spinning in our head, and find ourselves afraid to start. After all, we are aware we have one paragraph, … Continue reading >>
The world needs an illustrated grammar lesson concerning aw and awe.
Aw is a noise
Aw is the word for a noise you make when you see something that's freaking adorable, like a baby hedgehog or Betty … Continue reading >>
What Makes a Writer, and Am I One?
Are you a real writer?
It’s a loaded question to ask a room full of writers. Some will be offended that you even asked. “I write, therefore I’m a writer,” … Continue reading >>
Contrast emotion with setting in fiction
This is a simple trick that can maximize any scene's emotional impact.
A Map of the World by Jane Hamilton offers a great contrast between … Continue reading >>
I would start writing, and then say, "This is no good. No good at all."
Does that sound familiar? In an interview in April's The Writer, playwright Christopher Durang explains how he coped with … Continue reading >>
In any story, there’s a narrator that is separate from the writer. Point of view concerns how the narrator tells the story, and this will determine how close the relationship between the narrator and … Continue reading >>
