Humor in Tragedy
(Image from Life is Beautiful, 1997) If you’re going to write a tragedy, infuse your story with humor. Humor pulls us towards the […]
Conflating Characters
Sometimes we’ve written characters that don’t belong in our story because their function is redundant. Conflict might arise that don’t add anything […]
Building Sentences
“You become a good writer just as you become a good joiner: by planing down your sentences.”– Anatole France There are no […]
Own Your Work
Just because you might be a first-time novelist, it doesn’t mean you’re not the authority over your work. No agent, publisher, or […]
The Great American Novel
Every American writer secretly dreams of writing the “Great American Novel.” What would that look like? It’s a book that captures the […]
Our Characters are Malleable
“Nothing changes more constantly than the past; for the past that influences our lives does not consist of what happened, but of […]
Reframing Your Protagonist’s Goal
“Nothing worth doing is completed in our lifetime; therefore we must be saved by hope. Nothing true or beautiful makes complete sense […]
How to Become a First-Time Author
The journey to becoming a first-time author is different for everyone. For me, it involved letting go of the idea that I’d […]
How to Write Your First Novel
Writing your first book might actually be fun. I’m serious. I know you’re terrified. It’s a scary thing to do. But, at […]
Narrative Drive
“The purpose of narrative is to present us with complexity and ambiguity.”— Scott Turow If you’re rewriting and a point in your […]
Ten Signs of a Good Writing Instructor
Choosing a writing instructor is a big decision. They are not all created equal. Here are some guidelines and suggestions that […]
Writers, The Time is Now
I know writers who have struggled for decades to complete their first novel. They work on their novel for a while, then […]
