One of the biggest decisions you’ll make when writing a novel is where to begin. Of course, your story really begins well before page one, with all the events that made your world what it is and with all the experiences that made your characters who they are. But when we’re talking about page one,…
A few years ago I joined a bunch of writing groups on Facebook. I wanted to see what writers were talking about—I wanted to understand what questions they were asking in hopes that I’d learn how to better help my clients and students. I jumped in here or there to offer support or weigh in…
Here’s what happens to me all the time—I’ll be writing a scene and I need a character to enter the room, or I want two acquaintances to take their seats at a café, or I want to start a new chapter with a strong sense of atmosphere, etc., and I freeze up. I’ll have no…
I worked on a literary magazine for a good number of years and I learned a lot about what makes for good printed content. I also learned a lot about why even good writing gets rejected. It’s hard for us to see the flaws and problems in our own work—it’s hard for me and it’s…
Writer and instructor Matthew Salesses said, “The best ‘advice’ I’ve ever heard on revision was from the wonderful teacher and writer Margot Livesey. It was something like this: if you are bored, it’s not because you’ve read that section so many times, it’s because it’s boring.” Welp. I suppose it’s best to leave our delusions…