When I was a kid, I used to sit in my grandpa’s filling station and eat peanuts I’d poured into my bottle of pop. I didn’t know other people did this until I read a most gratifying account from a student of their own childhood Planters/Pepsi snack. Food is memory and connection. It’s also a…
On my Instagram page, I regularly share great opening lines from books, memoirs, and short stories. Great opening lines are their own kind of art form, and I love collecting them for their variety and imaginativeness. There are so many approaches to beginning a story, and the fact that your choices are wide open is…
My daughter Evelyn has consented to be an occasional guest star on my blog by agreeing to participate in a book club with me. Last summer when she was on break from college, we decided to read some books together and visit coffee shops to talk about them. Just us two. You can read about…
Reader, I added that “absolute” in the title in hopes of gaining your attention. I worry that a blog post about simply choosing better verbs could be one you’d skip over. You already know this stuff, right? It’s basic, it’s assumed, it’s Writing 101. But before you write off this article as rudimentary, I want…
I could tell you not to overthink your story opening in the first draft. But I’m not sure that’s even good advice. Thinking, thinking, and thinking some more is often what needs to happen with story-making. Finding that entry point and realizing those first 500 words can be critical to setting your feet on the…