Elizabeth cooked up something new last night during the Book Writing World mentoring class. It’s a short and sweet twist on pitch. Ideally, your pitch should be 2-3 sentences in length, contain some elements of conflict and most importantly, have a suspenseful “hook” – a tease of what’s to come. When you write your query […]
Baker’s Dozen: by Devi Laskar Read More »
My day job involves, among many other duties, directing the writing center at the university where I work. One of my greatest challenges in that area is training and supervising the college students who serve as writing tutors. They’re intelligent and skilled writers themselves, but to effectively help other writers requires that they acknowledge the
Read Like a Fool: by James Black Read More »
The other day, I was procrastinating-cum-researching and I stumbled across a figure. I know only a little bit about her, but I suddenly had the thought: this is the subject of my next novel. At my friend Dorothy’s insistence, I sent myself an email about it, and I requested a book from the library. Then
Three Kinds of Courage for Writers: By Elizabeth Stark Read More »
There are famous writers who end (or ended) each day in the middle of a sentence, so they would know exactly where to pick up the next day. Hemingway was famous for the way he left the sentence hanging overnight. It is a wonderful way to avoid writer’s block. I wish I knew how to
Middle of the Road in Thought: by Devi Laskar Read More »
As I write my novel, Shadow Gardens, I am grappling with the problem of transitions. I end one chapter in the “present” action and then flip to a scene in the protagonist’s “past.” Sometimes, the connections are quite clear, and often, the connections between the chapters are only clear to me – as my trusted
Ending on an image: by Devi Laskar Read More »
For as long as I can remember, everybody (family, teachers, friends, frenemies) has asked me “What’s wrong?” I scowl a lot, and they assume something’s wrong. All I’m doing is thinking, but somehow my uninviting expression invites interrogation. My parents, especially my father, had a better way of asking: “Where are you?” He knew I
Revis(it)ing: by James Black Read More »
Tomorrow I lose. That is, daylight savings time ends before the sun rises, and I will be losing an hour tomorrow when I (along with most of the United States & Canada) set my clocks ahead. That’s an hour to sleep or an hour to dream or an hour to write. Still, I’m not that
Spring Forward: by Devi Laskar Read More »
Superman tugged at his curly-q bang, surprised to discover his hair had gotten so long he could pull it down in front of his eye. “Wow,” he muttered to himself, letting go of the lock, watching it boing while resenting the universe for giving him such curly hair. He glanced down at the blank page
An Antidote for Writer’s Kryptonite: by James Black Read More »
I am deep in a final revision (final, that is, until the next round–led, I hope, by editors who want to publish my book or, if must be, by my agent) of my novel-in-progress. I thought I’d share a bit about my process for editing myself. Devi, our blog editor, recently re-published some of my posts
Writing is Rewriting . . . and Rewriting . . . and Rewriting . . . by Elizabeth Stark Read More »
The amazing writer and Barnard professor Mary Gordon crossed Broadway one semester while I was in graduate school, and a dozen lucky students at Columbia got her attention and fine instruction for a short time. We learned so much, and I still use many of her writing tricks and tips today, most especially every time
Comfort Food: by Devi Laskar Read More »
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