Don’t Be A Starving-Artist
I read an article the other day by a writer who, out of one side of his mouth, suggested that writers aren’t paid enough. We are often “forced” into taking secondary jobs like teaching or writing nonfiction, because Amazon’s policies “force” publishers to artificially raise their prices and “force” and “force.” The net result is […]
The Deepening Sea
There seems to be a disconnect between authors and readers right now. Many publishers are having a hard time finding the readers. In fact, a recent article from the Author’s Guild stated that “The Authors Guild’s 2018 Author Income Survey, the largest survey of writing-related earnings by American authors ever conducted, finds incomes falling to […]
Learning to Write in Workshops Versus Universities
Today a young writer asked what the advantages are of studying writing at a university versus at workshops. Now, I’ve taught in both settings, so let me suggest some of the advantages of each. Universities—the Pros and Cons When I studied writing, I did it at a university. I created my own degree program at […]
Finding Your Theme
In brainstorming a work, you will often find that you want your characters to behave in certain ways. And as they grow and develop, you may even find that you need to justify why they do what they do. If you get deep enough into their thought processes, you can almost imagine them arguing with […]
The Heart of Your Story
I was asked to read a screenplay a while ago. It opened with two minutes during which it explained what a common household device was, showing how it was made in a factory. Then for three more minutes, it had characters eating breakfast talking about their cultural heritage. I began to wonder when the story […]
Recognizing Your Own Skill
When you write a story, you often have to ask yourself, “Is this tale good enough to send to editors or agents? Is it ready to publish? Could it be a bestseller?” Oddly enough, you as the author may be a terrible judge of your own work. This principle was brought up to me years […]
On Sex, Drugs, and Rock and Roll
Years ago, there was a powerful writer that I liked. His stories were energetic, lyrical, evocative and imaginative, so I studied a couple dozen of them to see what I could learn from him. The author was a songwriters and composer, which explained his poetic bent, but I found something odd when looking at the […]
Can Writing be Taught?
As a teacher I can offer inspiration, point out the writer’s natural gifts, and help develop new skills. In fact, I’ve found that I can help most people learn to write to a publishable level and in many cases I can bring them to the point where they write at an award-winning level. At this time in my career, I’ve trained dozens of authors who have gone on to become New York Times bestsellers, and I still have to wonder: How much can I really help a new writer, and how much of what they do is innate ability?
Opening Strategies
There are many ways to hook a reader who opens your book–a great cover, a catchy title, luscious descriptions on the back cover, an endearing character portrait, a captivating first line to your novel, and so on. Yet all too soon, much of how well the story grabs a reader will depend upon whether your […]
Finding Your Theme
In brainstorming a work, you will often find that you want your characters to behave in certain ways. And as they grow and develop, you may even find that you need to justify why they do what they do. If you get deep enough into their thought processes, you can almost imagine them arguing with […]