Narrative technique is sort of like playing tennis. As writers, you spend a lot of time thinking about where “the ball” is supposed to go, what the effect of that will be, if your readers will even understand it, and if the “game” you’re in – i.e., your book – will be read to […]
It’s All in the Wrist: by Devi Laskar Read More »
I’m in a race against time to finish reconnecting the aorta and sew up the chest. That’s probably a dramatic metaphor for revising a novel, but can’t you sort of imagine it? I’m operating on a living creature that is awake except when pain causes it to sink from consciousness. I’ve painstakingly fixed the
Revision isn’t covered by your health plan: Guest Blog by James Black Read More »
I am waiting for my writing group to get back to me on the latest overhaul of my novel-in-progress. It’s been a strange time. A half-vacation. Should I write something new? Clean my office? Go through my kids’ toys and get rid of things they don’t play with any more but with
Reading and Writing (No Arithmetic): By Elizabeth Stark Read More »
Last week we went down to Cayucos, a small town north of Hearst Castle. We went for our annual get together with my SIL and BIL to watch the waves, write, play cribbage and walk on the beach. One of the methods I use to get my head in gear is to write metaphors or
New Sensations: Guest Blog by Bree LeMaire Read More »
With You When you hear the phrase “can’t take it with you,” it’s generally referring to money and how you can’t take it along when you die. But you can draw a similar conclusion with all of your “good ideas” in writing as well. In the course of the past week, several colleagues in the
Can’t Take It With You: by Devi Laskar Read More »
The late poet Stanley Kunitz gave several talks in and around Manhattan while I was still a graduate student in New York, and I was fortunate enough to hear him speak. One of the themes that ran through his amazing body of work and through his talks, was the theme of mythology. Professor Kunitz always
Making a Myth: by Devi Laskar Read More »
The Great Chain of Being in Contact My friend Jane posted this on my Facebook wall: “Had a lovely imaginary conversation with you yesterday, which made me think it’s time for a real one.” As fiction writers, we spend a great deal of time imagining conversations. It’s important that they seem real, but they must
The Great Chain of Being in Contact: Guest Blog by James Black! Read More »
In graduate school, I was fortunate to be a student of the late great Lucille Clifton. Not only was she an outstanding poet, but she was an exemplary teacher. And she used her wit and sense of humor to convey so many layers of meaning in her often short poems. She frequently spoke about the
Out loud: by Devi Laskar Read More »
It’s raining here in the home of the BWW, Northern California, or as we like to say, No Cal. Actually, I don’t know who likes to say that. Today I am thinking about collaboration and ownership. You see, for a long time in my pre-screenwriting life, I had a really difficult time accepting someone else’s
Rain and Contemplation Read More »
I haven’t felt compelled to write lately. Is that bad? Can I call myself a writer if I’m not brimming with ideas and driven by the need to process every thought in writing? I used to feel that need. I felt compelled. Thoughts zapped into my head and came out my fingers as words in
Keep Verbing Until You Noun: Guest Blog by James Black! Read More »
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