The first thing you need to know about writing a novel is that there are no easy answers. The second thing you need to know is that, if you’re anything like most of us, it’s going to be quite difficult. There’s no magic formula for novel-writing. Every novel demands its own structure, its own pace, its own way of looking at the world. Still with me? Good. Because, as it turns out, novel writing isn’t just a head-banging exercise in utter frustration and despair (although, trust me, sometimes it is just that). It’s also a deep swim into your...
On Writing
How to Start a Story
One of the questions I hear frequently from aspiring writers is, “How do I start a story?” Even seasoned writers have days when the story won’t come. Talking to a reporter for Interview Magazine in 1995, Martin Amis said of novel-writing, “If I come up against a brick wall, I’ll just go and play snooker or something or sleep on it, and my subconscious will fix it for me.” Good advice, for sure. But if snooker and the subconscious don’t do it for you, here are a few tips to get you going. You can begin “in medias res,”...
Creative Fidgeting
An article by Roland Rotz, Ph.D., in ADDitude Magazine this month claims you shouldn’t fight the fidget, especially when it comes to children with ADHD: Doing two things at once, it turns out, can actually help focus the ADHD brain on a primary task. Experts believe that engaging in an activity that uses a sense other than what’s required for your primary task — listening to music while reading a social studies textbook, for example — can enhance focus and improve performance in children with attention deficit disorder. These secondary tasks are called fidgets — mindless activities you can...
Nanowrimo Day 1: Start Your Novel Now!
Are you ready to draft a 50,000 word novel in 30 days? If so, you’ll be pleased to note that today is the first day of the annual brouhaha known as National Novel Writing Month, or Nanowrimo. Laura Miller over at Salon thinks you shouldn’t attempt it, on account of writing being such a narcissistic pursuit, while reading, she thinks, is a dying art. Miller is concerned that “an astonishing number of individuals who want to do the former will confess to never doing the latter .” Well, she has a point there. When I teach,...
Where stories begin…
Sometimes the hardest part about being a writer is committing the first words to paper. Story Starters: A Workbook for Writers, is designed to banish writer’s block, spark your imagination, and provide endless opportunities to make stories out of thin air. Arranged in a daily progression to help you get the most out of your writing practice, the 50 exercises in this workbook are the result of more than a decade of teaching creative writing in universities and community-based workshops. Craft exercises, free-flow exercises, and ten-minute prompts lead up to a series of flash fiction assignments. A Halfway There...
The international bestseller about one woman’s search for a missing child…
"Mesmerizing." ~Library Journal, starred review.
Stop dreaming, start writing!
