Curated insights to help fiction writers improve their craft Writers often enjoy the anonymity of being behind a story. It provides a certain amount of camouflage. Itâs not about you, itâs about the story. But when I attended the recent Columbus Book Festival, one of my greatest joys was to see and hear authors talk about their books, perspectives, and experiences. I found myself scrounging for every personal detail that would connect the dots between writer and writing: One author wrote...
20 days ago â˘Â 2 min read
Curated insights to help fiction writers improve their craft Against the better judgment of my inner voice, I may have implied Iâm a serial killer to the new neighbor that just moved in next door. And that I bury the corpses in my garden beds. Let me back up. Iâve been experimenting with a new (to me) approach to fostering creativity inspired by reading James Vanderbeekâs Wonderbook: If you reward your imagination by writing down your ideas and exploring them, even the slightest little...
3 months ago â˘Â 4 min read
Curated insights to help fiction writers improve their craft Beginnings of novels get a lot of attention, and for good reason. They set the tone and expectations for the whole book, and theyâre how readers decide if theyâll keep reading⌠or stop after chapter one. No pressure. Hook readers from page one Within the first line, page, chapter, and fifth of the book, you are aiming to accomplish a few things: Capture the reader Foster empathy for the main character Establish stakes Promise...
5 months ago â˘Â 1 min read
Curated insights to help fiction writers improve their craft Ever picked up a book that felt⌠flat? Youâre watching the characters move, hearing what they sayâbut somehow, youâre not feeling anything. Thatâs the sneaky problem with a shallow point of view. A sneaky POV problem Even when writers think theyâre using deep third-person POV, it often isnât deep enoughâand readers can tell. (Sometimes, they even DNF.) In this article, Iâm breaking down why this happens and how to fix it. Youâll...
11 months ago â˘Â 1 min read
Curated insights to help fiction writers improve their craft My editor brain is full to the brim of ideas. Is this how you feel as a writer sometimes? So many ideas, so little time to bring them into the world! The catalyst for my ideation proliferation is the recent ACES editorâs conference in Salt Lake City. If youâve ever thought work conferences were boring or stuffy, think again. My Uber driver defaulted to commiseration when I told him why I was in town: âAh, work conferences suck.â But...
over 1 year ago â˘Â 4 min read
Curated insights to help fiction writers improve their craft I've been more stressed than usual lately... have you felt it, too? This year started in a flurry of activity and it hasn't let up. Among the multitude of reasons to read and write books, escapism remains a valid one. But I'd argue it's more than that. As a writer, you have the power to create alternate realities and propose new norms to your readers. You offer an escape and extend an invitation to envision something new. When life...
over 1 year ago â˘Â 1 min read
Curated insights to help fiction writers improve their craft Have big writing goals this month? Maybe youâre a newbie writer working on your first book and sparring with imposter syndrome in your spare time. Or perhaps youâve fallen out of a writing habit and need a gentle yet swift kick in the pants to return to your writerly ways. Or maybe you crave a challenge and want to see what you can accomplish in a short amount of time. Enter the idea of NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month),...
almost 2 years ago â˘Â 2 min read
Curated insights to help fiction writers improve their craft I donât know about you, but I love my comfort zone. Especially as we slip into autumn here in the Midwest, I want to get cozy. A crisp quilt tucked into my lap. A warm mug of chai in hand. A few extra pillows atop my already overstuffed reading chair. Itâs a season of seeking comfort as the leaves around us change, fall quiet, die. The comfort zone invites us to settle in and be present. To exist and enjoy. But stepping out of our...
almost 2 years ago â˘Â 2 min read
Curated insights to help fiction writers improve their craft Welcome! I'm so glad you're here âşď¸ I made this newsletter for you, after all. It's a space where we can talk all things storytelling at every phase of the writing process. But it's not just any email newsletter; it's an invitation for two-way dialogue. Think of me as your bookworm friend who gets a bit nerdy about writing, reading, and storytelling. So feel free to reply, participate in polls (there's one below), and shoot me a...
almost 2 years ago â˘Â 2 min read