Never say never when it comes to writing a book. “I’ll never be a plotter.” “I’d never kill off my protagonist.” “I could never write a series—I’d get too bored with my characters.” As the oft-heard comment goes, each book you write teaches you how to write that book, not the next one. I was…
Your moment has arrived. After spending months drafting and revising a manuscript, getting feedback from your critique group, and sharing it with your first readers, you’re ready to take the next step. Maybe you’re thinking about pitching to agents or editors. Maybe you’re self-publishing and thinking about formatting and graphic design. Still, a question tickles…
My eight-year-old recently asked why so many Disney movies feature deceased or wicked mothers. After a moment to reflect, I answered, “Because if the main characters had positive role models and caregivers, they would get into a lot less trouble and then there wouldn’t be a story.” In Disney’s first full-length animated feature film, Snow…
Below is the opening setting from, The Glass Rainbow, (Burke, 2010). Note how Mr. Burke incorporates sight, sound, smell and taste, thereby immersing readers in the narrator’s location. The room I had rented in an old part of Natchez seemed more reflective of New Orleans than a river town in Mississippi…the courtyard outside touched with…
For this month, I’m reviewing one of the recent craft books that I’ve had on my virtual shelf: You: The Story: A Writer’s Guide to Craft Through Memory by Ruta Sepetys. This might seem like an odd choice for a blog post geared to fiction writers, but stick with me. Ruta Sepetys is the daughter…