Maybe it’s about a new perspective or using a different part of your brain. Maybe it really is just about opening yourself up to play—after all, when we take our work too seriously, we can quickly give ourselves tunnel vision.
Read more10 Essential Elements of Gothic Literature
As we head into fall, there’s no better time to visit the Gothic genre.
Read moreThe Things We Carry: The Weight of Objects in Fiction
Are there any items in your fictional world that are so charged, so laden with meaning, that they’re impacting the environment and/or the characters’ behavior?
Read moreTo Make Conflict Sizzle, Shift Your Perspective
In fiction, our most riveting stories are built on conflicts where all parties are equally convicted of their own, opposing beliefs, and each party stands in the way of the others’ objectives.
Read moreNaNoWriMo 2018 Is Right Around the Corner!
50,000 words in a month is most definitely a daunting goal, whether you’re a NaNoWriMo newbie or a seasoned veteran. This year, I’m here to help!
Read moreWhat a 3-Hour Painting Class Taught Me About the Writing Process
In the days that followed the class, as I obsessed over my painting and told everyone who would listen how scared I’d been but how happy I ended up, I realized those three hours were, in many ways, a highly condensed reflection of the writing process.
Read moreHow Does Place Shape Your Characters?
When we talk about writing, we often talk about setting the scene and evoking a sense of place, giving readers a backdrop to imagine. But what about the way the place affects the characters?
Read moreCreating Characters from the Outside In
We tend to create our characters from the inside out, but what if we gave it a shot from the outside in?
Read moreBehind the Scenes: I’m Not Missing, by Carrie Fountain
Last week, Carrie Fountain launched her new novel, I’m Not Missing, at Book People, here in Austin, and I couldn’t wait to hear her talk about her writing process. Fountain started as a poet, and I was particularly curious about how she thought the two disciplines—poetry and prose—worked together.
Read moreStorytellers: Stephen G. Yanoff
Storytellers is part of my “Literary Luminary” series, featuring insights on writing and publishing straight from the folks who do it for a living. Storyteller Stephen G. Yanoff is a former insurance company executive from Long Island, New York. He worked in Manhattan for over twenty years and became an acknowledged expert in the field of high-risk insurance. His mystery novels and nonfiction history books have won over twenty-five national and international book awards.
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