Our Craft column archive, which features an array of guest contributors.
Our job as writers is to help the reader forget about the writing and get immersed in the story—and that’s exactly what happens when you have a solid structure in place.
Like many writers, I’ll be spending November trying to churn out 1,667 words each day in order to end the month with a complete novel of at least 50,000 words.
The question I’m asked the most, which I never feel equipped to answer, is “How do I get a social media following as a writer?”
I’ve been experimenting with vintage tube radios, trying to learn enough so that I can soon design and build my own prototype. When I tell people this, they ask, “Where did you learn how to work on radios?” I usually say something like, “I just Google stuff, and I’m handy in general.” Which is true.…
I started freelance writing a few years ago…Then I started teaching high school English Language Arts and writing for fun… It’s a lot to juggle, but, fortunately, I’ve developed some habits that help me to stay productive when writing projects pile up.
It is clearly betrayal, indeed bodily insubordination, these hands that type “writhing” when my brain means “writing.” Even so, getting fingers-to-keys has gotten easier through the years, and the best writing advice I’ve ever received was modeled for me in the heat of the moment, two decades ago: “I need to let my subconscious work…
Dialogue is something fiction writers have to think about all the time, but it’s just as important if you’re writing narrative nonfiction or memoir.
You’ve got your agent. You’ve found a publisher. Now, you’re entering a strange period of apparent uselessness while your agent and publisher talk in hushed tones about The Deal.
Switching POV is criticized in creative nonfiction even more than it is in fiction.. But it’s absolutely possible.
… there’s good reason to fall in love with writing as an evolutionary process … No matter how skilled you are or how creative your imagination may be, your first draft should be your worst draft
