Have you ever noticed when you’re watching TV or starting a new book how many of them begin with the characters at a big event, like a wedding or a funeral, a graduation ceremony, birthday party or moving day? Why is that? It’s on purpose. I first heard about this tactic from screenwriter Michael Jamin….
A friend of mine and a talented writer in my writers’ group invited me to an upcoming event that she’s hosting, a “Bookish Tea Party,” where her friends will discuss any book they’re currently reading. I love this! I have come to accept the fact that I’m not a good fit for traditional book clubs…
I ran into an interesting issue last week with a story I wrote. In the narration, as well as the dialogue, I made references to some classic literature. Those people “in the know” (agents, editors, published authors) have admonished writers not to reference current literature or cultural items or events because it will date the…
Overwriting. Over-explaining. Over-doing. Over-extra-ing. Whatever project you have going on in your life right now, take a step back from it and ask yourself if you’ve done too much? But wait. Aren’t we supposed to go the extra mile? That’s not exactly what I mean. If you’re painting a picture, do you have so much…
A couple of weeks ago I wrote a review of a charming, middle-grade book called Gleam: Semma and the Secret of Stuffmore by new author Kurt Christiansen. Today, I have an interview with Kurt. He has some tips and inspiration for writers and an upbeat and hopeful view of the future for all of us….
Or, in the words of Virginia Woolf, a room of one’s own. What sort of space do you need to be creative, to take a breath without judgment or observation or guilt? Some people have elaborate spaces. We’ve all seen the extravagant rooms on Pinterest. Cozy coffee houses have been popping up on social media,…
There’s a song called “Geronimo!” by Sheppard from the Alvin and the Chipmunks movie (2014) that had escaped my attention until now. Cute song, but that’s not the point. It made me wonder about the word Geronimo, which should always be accompanied by an exclamation point. Geronimo was an Apache leader in the late 1800s/early…
A new writer, Kurt Christiansen, popped up on Facebook recently in a group I follow (Middle Grade Fiction Writers). What caught my eye, besides the cover of his book, was this, “13 years in the making, a hundred drafts and revisions, and it’s finally complete and ready to share.” In his photo he looked elated….
Everyone has one. I know someone whose superpower is the ability to work diligently at something until it’s just right to his ears and his soul. Someone else’s superpower—and I’m not sure she even knows this—is finding rainbows in the rain (metaphorically speaking). An acquaintance’s superpower is telling the time within a couple of minutes…
Kate DiCamillo is not a 12-year-old girl. Nor is she a pig, a puppet or a magician. Hannah Gold is not a polar bear. Erin Bow is not a boy. Sara Pennypacker is not an African American young man intent on a career in theater. But these authors write about those characters. I am not…
