The Cure
I went to Midland, Texas over the weekend. On a taxi ride from the airport, the driver asked what I did for a living and commented, “I’ve always wanted to write a novel.” There was a genuine ache in his voice, as if he’d left something undone on his bucket list, and I thought, The […]
What if You Write a Great Book and the Publisher Doesn’t Buy It?
In the last year, I’ve had several writer friends and students send me samples of just fantastic novels that should have been snapped up by agents and publishers, but weren’t. In some instances, the author went to every major agent in the business, and none even wanted to see it. At times like that, it’s […]
Damaged Characters
One time I caught the season finale to a show that finds needy families and then rebuilds or replaces their homes. In this case, the father in the family seemed to be a great coach and a great person, but he was suffering from ALS, a disease that will take his life within a year […]
How to End a Story Well
Today, I want to talk about the ending of your novel or short story. Most new writers don’t have a problem ending their story. After all, if you’re working on a large novel and you’ve spent a year or two of your life working toward the ending, the chances are excellent that you’ve had a long […]
Mystic Art
For many authors, writing itself is a mystical act. They don’t understand what impulses drive them to write, they can’t figure out where to begin, and yet they feel great joy in the act of creation. I think of these people as mystics. Very often, they understand the act of writing so poorly that all […]
6 Tips to Increase Your Brain Power
Here are some ideas to help you increase your ability to write and to brainstorm. 1) Learn your own biorhythms. The right side of your brain, the creative side, wakens and falls asleep on a cycle that is separate from your conscious mind. One signal that it is awake is that during the night, when […]
To Plot, or Not to Plot
A lot of writers wonder whether they should plot a book or not. The truth is that the vast majority of bestselling authors do plot out their books, but that isn’t always the case. There are some writers who don’t plot. They’re called “discovery writers,” and they tend to ponder each scene, write it down, […]
Choosing Your Editor
Have you ever thought about the fact that when you submit your lovingly written novel to a major publisher, you get to choose your editor? You choose your potential editor by submitting to that person. You write a letter of introduction, a synopsis of your novel, and send in a sample of your work—all in […]
How to Bore an Editor to Death
Last week I got sepsis, a serious infection that is carried through the body by the blood, and landed in the hospital. Not wanting to waste time just lying around, I decided to work on judging for the Writers of the Future with my handy laptop, and from reading hundreds of stories, listed some ways […]
The Curse of the Blank Page
Every new writer, and quite a few old ones, is familiar with that sinking feeling that happens when you start a new tale and wonder, “Where do I begin?” Many times when I’m judging a story for Writers of the Future, I’ll come upon a story that seems somehow malformed. The writing is great, but […]