Finding a useful author tool can make all the difference to a writer’s life. After all, the best tools help us to do things in a more efficient and effective way. They allow us to focus on our writing, rather than being slowed down and distracted by carrying out tasks in a suboptimal fashion. To… Read more »
Here’s a secret writing exercise I only recently learned: If you want characters to feel real for the reader, you have to hint they have the potential to be the opposite of what they appear. Wait, what? The opposite of what the character seems . . . wouldn’t that mean the character is acting out… Read more »
We writers should take every opportunity to experience the world of our characters. The more we immerse ourselves in a particular culture or setting the deeper we can understand it, and the more realistically we can describe it in our writing. Unfortunately, cost, distance, or other practicalities (like the lack of space travel or a… Read more »
There’s not a lot of advice out there for mid-career writers. Once you’ve finished your first book or story, the expectation is that you now have a process that works for you and can be repeated. And yet, invariably, new problems arise. Maybe the idea for your second novel came in a different shape than… Read more »
Holy guacamole, word nerds, it has been such an incredible few weeks! The Facebook group has been hopping with all the discussion threads and comments. Personally, I’ve had a blast getting to know so many word nerds and having a window into your creative process. This book club has been so much fun, and it… Read more »
Hey hey word nerds! I’m back with another round up of DIY MFA Book Club prompts. Just in time, too, because the month-long challenge will be wrapping up soon! Join us in the Facebook group for a celebration and collective happy dance on Monday. Before we dive into the round-up, I have to take a… Read more »
Hey there word nerds! If you haven’t already noticed, our Facebook community has been hopping lately and it’s all because of the DIY MFA Book Club. If you’re not already a part of it, there’s still time to join! Just go to DIYMFA.com/BookClub and sign up. The book club was inspired by the DIY MFA… Read more »
Hey there word nerds! Today I am delighted to have executive director of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) and cofounder of 100 Word Story, Grant Faulkner, on the show! His stories have appeared in dozens of literary magazines, like Tin House and The Southwest Review, plus his essays on creativity have been published in places like the New York… Read more »
One great way to get new story ideas or kick-start your writing is to use the five senses for inspiration. Most writers think of the senses as a way to spice up flat descriptions. In fact, I have one writer friend who used to keep a post-it note stuck to his computer screen with the… Read more »
Hey there word nerds! Today I am so excited to have Courtney Maum on the show! Courtney is the author of the novel I Am Having So Much Fun Here Without You, and pieces of short fiction and essays that have appeared in places such as New York Times. Her latest novel, Touch, is the… Read more »
