Every editor and writing instructor will tell you how important the beginning of a book is. It sets the stage, draws the reader in, and likely influences whether the reader will buy (and read) the book at all. Lately I’ve been thinking about the importance of endings. My thoughts were drawn there partly because I’m…
A friend of mine recently told me she has started writing in a whole new genre. It definitely wasn’t a career change I would have expected. Her previous books have been long, complex stories written in an elegant, almost literary style. Now she has decided to write in a genre that is much lighter and…
Here we are, in the final days of what some writers know only as National Novel Writing Month. Regardless of how many words you generated during November, you’ve undoubtedly learned some valuable things about yourself as a writer: what motivates, sustains or inspires you. Or, if you chose not to participate, maybe you learned what…
In early June, I attended Lit Fest, presented by Denver’s Lighthouse Writers Workshop. I’ve participated in several craft workshops as part of the Lit Fest offerings in past summers, but this was the first year I decided to apply for an advanced placement course. While I’ve learned from all of my critique groups and workshops—with…
A common misconception about chaos is that it’s chaotic, meaning the object in question is out of control, disorganized, irretrievably confused. Every writer has been there—the letters swim on the page like aimless tadpoles, every word you’ve written screams “YOU SUCK!” You get the drift. But, despair not! It turns out “chaos,” as used in…