In this column, Life of a Writer, every 8 weeks or so I will share the next episode in my journey as a middle-aged woman who finally gets serious about her dream of becoming a published author. This episode is about continuing on after the unthinkable happens. In Episode 1 of this column, I wrote… Read more »
I don’t know how other authors of dual timeline novels decided to go that way, but this structure wasn’t my initial intention. I had an idea for a story about a young woman in seventeenth-century Spain, but I eventually realized that I couldn’t let her story begin and end there. I wanted there to be… Read more »
When publishing routes are so often discussed in terms of self-publishing vs. traditional publishing, it’s easy to forget about options beyond the binary—and even as someone who works in publishing, I’ll freely admit that I don’t talk about small presses enough! So while my previous column reinforced that trad pub/self-pub dichotomy, today I want to… Read more »
My memoir, The Ghost Marriage, wasn’t a book I planned to write. I had been working on short stories and a historical novel; it never occurred to me that anything in my own life would be interesting enough to write about. Then the bottom dropped out of my marriage, I went through a difficult divorce,… Read more »
In my previous article, we took a look at the world-building aspect of writing historical fiction and our responsibility, as writers, to represent the past faithfully. As we strive for authenticity, however, it’s inevitable that we’ll come face to face with some things that might be considered quite unsavory within the context of today’s norms…. Read more »
In this time of Zoom, many creators have found it difficult to compose anything. Authors have said the lack of external stimulation has made it difficult to engage with the creative process. Writers find inspiration from the world around them, whether it’s a snippet of overhead conversation, a waft of a particular scent that brings… Read more »
A hot trend in publishing right now is retelling. From the poetry of stars to the chords of the dreamland, even in the echo of tales once told, inspiration is everywhere. Whatever inky thoughts decorate the several hundred pages is a unique journey of fresh perspective. But sometimes a pair of novel glasses are put… Read more »
A good friend once asked me who my favorite literary character was and why. I immediately responded with Mary Katherine (Merricat) Blackwood from We Have Always Lived in the Castle. As I described Merricat—destructive, chaotic, manipulative—my friend interrupted to ask why I liked her. Clearly someone with so many negative qualities was the villain of… Read more »
Hi, writers! I am so excited to debut my new column focusing on the craft of poetry. Let’s dive right in! Line breaks were one of the biggest challenges I faced when I first started writing poetry—knowing when to break a line, when to use short lines vs. long lines, and, perhaps most importantly, the… Read more »
I was working on my WIP recently. I have my project set up where each scene has its own file, which organizes things nicely, but also lets me easily see which scenes are coming up next. When I get to the end of one scene, I often look at the next scene and think, “Oh… Read more »
