During last week’s mentoring class in the Book Writing World, Elizabeth had us doodle with a purpose. It was a very helpful exercise, creating a “concept map” for our novels or memoirs in progress. A concept map is much like a child’s rendition of a spider, except with many more legs and heads. The idea […]
Cartography: by Devi Laskar Read More »
Recently in the Book Writing World there seems to be a lot of chatter about writer’s block and a lull that washes over you right after finishing a big project, let’s say, your novel or memoir. I have the lull, and I’m not even done yet. ☺ My BWW colleague James Black had an antidote
Birdsongs: by Devi Laskar Read More »
During a recent mentoring class in the Book Writing World, Elizabeth was asked about revision and critiquing. I have unearthed a very helpful list of things “to do” and “to think about” Elizabeth put together a few years ago. These are 10 steps to take as you finish your manuscripts and figure out how to
Being Your Own Best Editor: by Elizabeth Stark Read More »
A long time ago, a friend of mine was getting married in an empire waist dress with a garland of flowers in her hair. She asked me if I thought her wedding choices were silly. I told her that your wedding is like your bedroom: it only needs to feel right to you (and your
The Critiquing Eye: by Elizabeth Stark Read More »
As I shared a few weeks ago, I set a goal to finish the third full draft of my manuscript by February 16, the day before I left for a momentum-stifling business trip. Goal attained. The most impressive aspect of the accomplishment is that I stopped. It was time to let go of the novel
This Vacation is All I Ever Wanted: by James Black Read More »
A scene at its most basic is simple action that occurs in one place and time. We’ve all heard that definition. But if you are reading this, you’re probably not really wondering what a scene is, but how to write a successful scene. And the answer to that is a little more complicated. I think
Writing Compelling Scenes: by Angie Powers Read More »
There’s an old saying, “Write What You Know.” But author Ken Kesey, who wrote One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, said it best: “Write about what you don’t know about what you know.” In other words, explore past the edges of what is comfortable and familiar, and get to know something new and unexpected. I’ve
What you don’t know about what you know: by Devi Laskar Read More »
I’ve come across some old notebooks that I kept as a graduate student and I’m so happy to read through them again: lots and lots of great tips and strategies from professors who are also acclaimed writers who have consistently written and published amazing books. I’m going to take a few days this coming
More W.O.W: By Devi Laskar Read More »
So many books have been written on the art of writing, on the resistance to actually doing the writing rather than talking about doing the work required to be a writer. There are books about finishing a novel in a year to finishing your outline for your novel in a year. It’s enough, well, to
Habits are Not Just for Nuns: By Devi Laskar Read More »
I’ve become an avid follower of the hashtag #amwriting on Twitter. Writers typically use it to indicate they’re currently in the process of writing, although some add it to anything they post about the practice of writing. Of course, a lot of #amwriting tweets are structured around the verb phrase “am writing,” e.g., “I #amwriting
#amwriting on Twitter: By James Black Read More »
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