The sticker on my laptop reading “I am silently correcting your grammar” might make me chuckle, but it is not, in fact, true. As an editor, people sometimes send me screenshots of misspellings and grammatical errors that they found funny. Again, I may chuckle, but before I declare that writing “wrong,” I must first make… Read more »
So, you want to write about your dysfunctional family. Well, good for you. (And if you’re one of the lucky few who wants to write about your functional family, I’m not your Huckleberry). Family dynamics are difficult enough to grasp, let alone write about. But when properly explored, they make for powerful stories. Here’s a… Read more »
Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Amy Alznauer. Amy lives in Chicago with her husband, two children, a dog and her four puppies, a parakeet, sometimes chicks and a part-time fish, but, as of today, no elephants or peacocks. Check back. Her writing has won the Annie Dillard Award for Creative Nonfiction, the Christopher… Read more »
One of my favorite types of books is historical fiction, so it stands to reason that I love historical mysteries. Imagine my happiness at discovering mystery series starring famous writers as sleuths. I’m surprised I was able to stand my excitement when I discovered mystery series with mystery authors as the sleuths. The following seven… Read more »
Hey writers! In my past few articles we’ve been studying how to read with a purpose, and a fantastic way of leveling up our reading analysis skills is using the Story Grid Scene Analysis Template. As a quick reminder for readers who aren’t familiar with the Story Grid Scene Analysis Template, take a few minutes… Read more »
We got so many awesome questions during the master class, and we couldn’t get through them all. That’s why I decided to hop on a live broadcast so I could answer some of these questions, particularly the ones focusing on the writing process. One theme that came up again and again in this session was… Read more »
Lots of people say they want to write a book about their life. Over the course of years and decades, they’ve amassed experiences and learned lessons that make for interesting reading and inspiration for others. That makes sense. We all have a story to tell – and really, more than one story. Which can make… Read more »
Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Helen Zuman, author of Mating in Captivity. This book is a memoir of her five years, post-Harvard, at Zendik Farm, a neo-hippie cult with a radical take on sex and relationships. Her memoir has received many honors. It got a starred review from Kirkus and was named Kirkus… Read more »
On May 30, 2020, NASA astronauts Bob Behken and Doug Hurley were launched in the Crew Dragon capsule by a Falcon 9 rocket, both capsule and rocket provided by SpaceX. The Falcon 9 returned safely to its barge. The next day, Behken and Hurley successfully docked with the International Space Station (ISS). This was the… Read more »
[Editor’s Note: This is published author Lauren Sharkey’s first column at DIY MFA. She will be focusing on the business side of writing. We are so excited to add our new columnist! You can also check out Lauren’s recent DIY MFA Radio episode here.] In an episode of Sex and the City, Carrie says she… Read more »
