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 … 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 >>
Learn from reading, even books you don't like
Next time you want to give up reading a particular book because 1. it bores you, 2. you can't make sense out of it, or 3. it makes you bang your head … Continue reading >>
In the last two romances I read, the "hero" kisses the girl on the nose. It was something that pulled me right out of the romance, and suspended my belief in the story and the author. I just … Continue reading >>
Detroit’s own
Elmore Leonard is quoted as saying “There are cities that get by on their good looks. Detroit has to work for a living.” He was born in New Orleans but moved to Detroit as a boy, and … Continue reading >>
I Vacuum, Therefore I Am:
Magic was in the air in a crowded coffeehouse 18 years ago when I first heard poet Margo LaGatutta read. Her poem, “I Vacuum, Therefore I Am,” gave me goose … Continue reading >>
