I’ve submitted to writing contests every so often for the past few years, and honestly, I’ve always found it to be a pretty intimidating process. You know what I’m talking about: I search through dozens (hundreds?) of listings until I find one that fits, Google the judges and read the previous winner’s work, then shell… Read more »
I can credit my local writing group with a lot of things: Teaching me craft, encouraging me to write, critiquing my work, and convincing me to pitch my book. And now, I don’t think it’s too much to credit them with also getting me an agent. Yes, I wrote the book. Yes, I edited it… Read more »
When it comes to Fifty Shades of Grey, commenting on the poor quality of the writing has become cliché. Mentioning the book in a circle of authors requires a caveat of, “Yes, I know. The writing is weak,” before any further comment can be made. But the fact remains: the trilogy has been wildly successful…. Read more »
“Every character should want something, even if it is only a glass of water.” – Kurt Vonnegut Conflict, rising tensions, epic rivalries; we writers love to finger paint with all of it. But what if you could use the same raw materials of story to map out your marketing efforts? How fun would that be?… Read more »
When I moved to New York, my first bedroom was, quite literally, the closet under the stairs. I had just come from a small town in Michigan, where we didn’t have a Starbucks, but we did have big bedrooms. The idea of fitting a writing space into my poor excuse for one seemed laughable. But… Read more »
Flash fiction, as we’ve discussed here before, is one of those things you can pick up during a short break. Even if you have no more than 20 minutes to write, it’s possible to whip up a story. The key to writing great flash fiction, however, is a plan. Much like writing a novel, you… Read more »
Every story needs a solid, vivid world that readers can lose themselves in for hours and remember long after they’ve reached The End. Whether that world is another planet, a land of mythical creatures, ancient Egypt, or a modern-day university doesn’t matter. If it feels real to the reader, then the writer has succeeded with… Read more »
“My new book is out! Buy for $2.99 on Amazon! [LINK]” “Have you read my new novel yet? Get it now! [LINK]” “ ‘MY BOOK TITLE’ #kindle #bestseller [LINK]” Do these spam author posts feel familiar? It’s become a common author stereotype on social media networks to constantly post asking people to please, for the… Read more »
America is a nation of immigrants, and theme of being an “outsider” is a common one in our literature. A few weeks ago, I wrote a post about five great American novels that feature male protagonists. This week, I’ll be doing the same with books that feature female protagonists. This is just the tip of the iceberg,… Read more »
Stories often feature characters who share traits or functions but use them in opposite ways. Think about Frodo Baggins and Gollum, Harry Potter and Voldemort, or Marianne and Elinor Dashwood. The characters in each pair reflect one another’s similarities while contrasting their differences in approaching those similarities. These pairs are known as “mirror characters” –… Read more »
