We usually need to read a novel in order to identify its themes. However, what if the title and the blurb (a.k.a. jacket copy) could suggest potential themes? It’s not a stretch sometimes. In today’s edition of Theme: A Story’s Soul, we’ll explore how both items can reveal a great deal about the ideas and… Read more »
We’ve had an incredible year here at DIY MFA, with a lot on the horizon for 2015. We’ve expanded our team to include five new columnists and a podcast producer. We introduced DIY MFA radio and saw it jump to the top of the iTunes Arts section. We hosted a writing challenge and virtual writing retreat with… Read more »
Hello and happy holidays! Thanks so much for joining me this week for our holiday episode of DIY MFA Radio. I’ve always loved the Santa Claus story. This is my favorite time of year and I love how festive and bright every thing is (even though, in NYC the weather is usually dark and grim)…. Read more »
Joining my first writing group last year may be the best thing I’ve ever done. (Aside from marrying my husband.) Exaggeration? No. Beginners luck? Sure. A lot of people try writing groups, and hate them. They have mediocre experiences, sometimes traumatic ones, and never go back. Many are fearful of sharing their work. Others live… Read more »
If you’re like me, this holiday season you’ll probably see at least one version of Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol, and if you’re really like me, this might send you into a spiral of Victorian nostalgia. Well, good news! The nineteenth century saw the rise of the novel, so there are plenty of excellent books… Read more »
Hello and thank you for joining me today! In this episode–titled Outlining Demystified–we’re going talk about outline techniques particularly geared for writers who hate outlines. When I first started writing, I hated outlines because I thought they were too constricting. Then I discovered these five techniques and a whole new side of writing opened up… Read more »
I am so unbelievably excited to share this news with you today. As of late last week it is official: DIY MFA will be a book and Writer’s Digest Books is going to publish it. The contract is signed, sealed and delivered, and in Spring 2016 the DIY MFA book will be coming to a bookstore near… Read more »
Last week’s challenge was to write a 100 word story to share how you got your name. Here’s mine: They weren’t big on surprises, my parents. They wanted to know right away. The suspense wasn’t fun, or sexy, or something they wanted to prolong. “Girl.” Repeated again and again, to family members, friends, and complete… Read more »
Christmas shopping can be tough, especially when you want to give special gifts that make the recipients smile, assuring them that you know them, and you’ve been paying attention. Writers are one of the easiest groups of people to shop for, but for some reason, people are often stumped. They have no idea what a… Read more »
Welcome to another awesome interview episode of DIY MFA Radio! Today we have Daniel Milnor, photographer at large for Blurb, Inc., joining us. Dan and I talked about how the book has evolved, what it means for something to be a book, and what all these changes mean for authors. In particular, we discuss different publishing… Read more »
