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 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 »
One of the biggest steps for me as a writer was the first time I looked at a piece of writing advice from a mentor, someone I trusted and knew had my best interest at heart, and responded with: “That advice doesn’t work for me.” Writing advice is everywhere. You can’t turn a corner without… Read more »
Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Sara Schaff. Sara Schaff is the author of two short story collections The Invention of Love and Say Something Nice About Me. She is a CLMP Firecracker Award Finalist in fiction and a finalist for the 2017 Next Generation Indie Book Award for short fiction. Her writing has… Read more »
When we read great dialogue, sparks fly. Why? I love dialogue. When I’m reading a book and I spot dialogue up ahead, I think: Sweet—we’re getting to the good stuff soon. And when I’m writing a book and I get to a part requiring dialogue, I think: Sweet—time to have some real fun. Here’s the… Read more »
The world is an overwhelming and chaotic place lately. How can you be expected to deal with everything on your plate and still find time to write? It’s tempting to blame recent events for our lack of personal time and ability to manage it. But if we are honest with ourselves, we would recall how… Read more »
Being a writer is no easy feat. Writing requires honesty and gumption. It requires you to be resilient, immune to criticism, and to spend hours locked away in seclusion. What makes a writer successful? Is it only about natural talent? Or is it more about discipline and learning resilience? Whenever I need some writing inspiration,… Read more »
Writing a short story always seems so easy until you try to write one. Then, reality sets in. How do you fit in character development? An entire plot? So much to fit and so few words! Because of these constraints, short stories are a great tool to practice writing. Short stories can teach you to… Read more »
