So you have some concept and general guidance on what the seven main chakras are, what they represent, and how they can manifest as behaviors and motivations for you (and your characters). Chakras can help you add movement to a static character, or help you identify what within your character you can change to help… Read more »
Writing a memoir that covers difficult subjects should be cathartic, and reading it should be soul-stirring. I believe the work an author puts into their inner world will determine the mark their work leaves on the world. If you want to free your soul and inspire hope for healing, then here are five things to… Read more »
When I was a kid, after a weekly shopping trip to my hometown, the place our family arranged to meet before driving home was the bookstore. There we’d pick up the weekly magazines (Woman, Girl, Eagle… ) and browse books while waiting for stragglers to arrive. My parents — primary school teachers — would be… Read more »
Today, Lori is interviewing Patricia Leavy. They’ll be talking about her book, Hollyland, and the science behind the art of writing. Have you signed up to be a DIY MFA Radio Insider yet? This is an exciting new monthly newsletter especially for our podcast listeners. Every month, you’ll get an email from our podcast producer… Read more »
Critique groups have a bad rap in some writing circles. Ours works well, so we’ll be sharing our experience in a series of articles. This one focuses on our origin story: how we came together to create a long-lasting, successful writers’s support group. We’re four women who’ve never met and possibly never will. (Secretly we… Read more »
I inherited a love of afternoon tea from my Victorian grandmother. She would brew a pot of stout tea and serve it, steaming hot, with ginger cookies. Or, if North Carolina humidity cooperated, mint meringues with chocolate chips. I’d bite into their crisp skin and then wait, as the soft, minty inside melted in my… Read more »
Greetings, fellow word nerds! As we head into April (aka National Poetry Month), it only makes sense that this month’s Leisure Learning column should focus on the short form of the written word. In a world where words can easily become blather, poetry offers a magnificent opportunity to return to the essence of our human… Read more »
A few weeks ago, I shared how numbers could improve your writing life. Today, I’m going to discuss how numerical data can improve your story. The suggestions I present here are in the context of novels, but you can apply these principles to other forms as well. As with the previous article, I don’t want… Read more »
Have you noticed how some book posts can really grab your attention on Instagram or other social media platforms? Let’s dive into three ideas to spark an Instagram-worthy book post! We’ll analyze how bookstagrammers, bookstores, and authors leverage covers to create great visuals. Remember, these ideas don’t negate the need for solid cover design tenets… Read more »
Today, Lori is interviewing Jinwoo Chong. They’ll be talking about themes of loss and disconnection and how they relate to his book Flux. Have you signed up to be a DIY MFA Radio Insider yet? This is an exciting new monthly newsletter especially for our podcast listeners. Every month, you’ll get an email from our… Read more »
