No two ways about it: I’m struggling with the structure of my WIP. It’s as if I’ve spent months making what I hoped would be a beautiful garment, something I ... Read more
I firmly believe that 90% of writing is craft rather than art. But that ineffable 10%, the part that elevates a well-constructed, readable story to something more—where does that come ... Read more
I’ve had a remarkable week or so, the land of both truth and fiction. First, the fiction, because in many ways that’s easier and more predictable. My manuscript is going ... Read more
One of the greatest challenges in writing any story is figuring out where it begins and where it ends—most writers know that all too well. What seems like the obvious ... Read more
I was at a writing workshop a couple of months ago, and one of the participants commented that writing historical fiction is easy, because the story is already there. I ... Read more
So, you have a finished manuscript. You’ve polished and prodded and written and rewritten and finally you think it’s ready to find a home in the world. Congratulations! Not everyone ... Read more
I’ve often thought about writing out random scenes, things that I see my characters doing, or events I know my characters will interact with at some point in the story. ... Read more
I’ve discovered I can’t start writing a novel—even if I know how it should begin and end—until I find the narrative thread. Characters can develop on the page as I ... Read more
One of the magical parts of being a writer of fiction is that you get to create characters. Even historical figures, where there might be an image to base the ... Read more
