We often says to students, “Where do you start you story? With this, The trouble started on Wednesday.” Begin your story on Wednesday, not on Sunday. Sunday is back story. (Be bold. Begin with dialog, if that feels right.) When we edit manuscripts, we often see the first pages rambling around the block, shuffling their […]
Archives for 2015
Avoid an Outhouse Called the Slushpile
December 2, 2015 by
Several times each week a would-be writer comes to me with this complaint: ‘I’ve spent two years (or one year or three years) sending my book to agents, publishers, or producers, AND I’M GETTING ABSOLUTELY NOWHERE. I GET A FORM REJECTION. OR NO ANSWER AT ALL. I’M SICK OF IT.’
I’m tired of it, too. Where does their writing land? Simple. It’s called the slush pile. Every agent, editor, and producer has one, a stack of manuscripts in a corner, about to topple, waiting to be read. Here’s a promise—they’re not going to get read. What to do to make sure your work is read? Read on.
Your Creative Writing Checklist
March 16, 2015 by
Sometimes I read analyses of creativity. My experience is that they don’t help people be creative.
Reading Masters and Johnson is informative about sex. It will not give you an experience of an ecstatic act of love. Studying diagrams of waltz movements tells us what steps we should take. It doesn’t give us the feeling of a lovely dance. Reading instructions about improving you golf swing will not give you fine feeling of a good drive.
Here’s a checklist to give your creative writing wings.
Finding the RIGHT word
March 5, 2015 by
“The difference between the right word and the almost-right word is the difference between the lightning and the lightning bug.” –Mark Twain Please follow and like us:
Become a Professional Writer
March 2, 2015 by
There are three rules for becoming rules becoming a professional writer: 1) Write every day. 2) Write every day. 3) Write every day. […]
Writing Together? Miracles Happen.
February 3, 2015 by
We Lived to Tell the Tale of MOONLIGHT WATER We collaborated on MOONLIGHT WATER, our latest book, just published. Our marriage survived. We even had fun writing it together. It is a miracle. Magical realism, adventure among the Navajos, bad guys, romance, starting a new life, and a peek into the other side is […]
