Overcoming Self-Doubt
I used to be amazed at the madness of my mind. One day, I think my writing is brilliant, and the next […]
The Lens Through Which You See Your Story
“I find that when I am working I become like an antenna, and suddenly everything relates to my screenplay: a mentioned recipe, […]
“What is the Book Market Looking For?”
“What does the market want?” I hear this question frequently from first-time novelists, as if there’s some secret, as if their job […]
The Courage to be Specific in Writing
Humans are full of paradoxes. We only love to the extent that we hate. We are constantly changing our minds, constantly renegotiating […]
The Desire to Write
Whether it is conscious or not, the desire to write is connected to the desire to evolve, to untangle the lie that […]
Building a Body of Work
I remember one day over twenty years ago when I was bellyaching to a friend of mine about how nobody was buying […]
Juxtaposition
The rewrite process can sometimes lead us into a rut. Our attempts to make our work as clear and specific as possible […]
Your Writing Process is Valid
Every writer has their own way of working, a process that has to be developed and honed over many years. Margaret Atwood […]
Ten Suggestions for Writing
Below are ten writing suggestions for anyone who is setting out to craft a novel, memoir, or screenplay. Some are obvious, while […]
The Protagonist’s Experience
Regardless of the medium, your reader is not interested in what your character is feeling. Seriously. In fact, if you tell your […]
No Dilemma, No Story
One thing that has been coming up a lot in my classes is the tendency for writers to “figure out” their plot. […]
Becoming a Professional Writer
The publishing industry has undergone tremendous changes over the years. “Mid-list” writers who relied on decent advances from their publishers have found […]
