What do you do when you’re out of ideas? I have often struggled with this very problem. In fact, as I sit down to write this newsletter, I’m wondering what on earth I might have to say about writing that hasn’t already been said. Terrifying as it may seem, I suddenly find myself out of… Read more »
Edgar Allan Poe is one of my favorite American authors. I love how so many of his stories are dark, creepy, and suspenseful, but they never quite cross the line into outright, over-the-top gore. Poe also is brilliant at writing unreliable narrators, people who believe their motivations are reasonable and their actions justified, even when… Read more »
Have you ever been in that state of creative flow where it feels like your book is practically writing itself? It’s amazing, right? To me, it’s like the muse is whispering straight into my ear and those words just pour onto the page. I don’t even notice that I’m writing because the ideas just flow…. Read more »
At DIY MFA, we talk a lot about “big craft” topics like character development, world-building, or story structure. Today, I wanted to do something a little different and discuss scene craft—i.e., the techniques that go into creating a compelling and engaging scene. Scenes are an essential component of storytelling because they are the fundamental building… Read more »
At DIY MFA, we focus a lot on the craft of writing. It’s our specialty and (truthfully) it’s one of my favorite things to teach. I love coming up with frameworks and structures to help writers learn the craft and implement techniques on the page. But there’s more to writing than just the writing itself…. Read more »
