One of the things I love about being a writer is taking control of my research and learning what I need to learn to write my stories. I love creating my own personal curriculum as well as my own commonplace books where I store what I've learned. Sometimes as writers, we need to do whatever … Continue reading How To Make Writing Feel Magical Again
Author: Meredith Allard
The Research Rabbit Holes I’ll Never Forget: What Biblical Jerusalem Taught Me About Writing Historical Fiction
As a historical novelist, I’ve been able to time-travel to many different times and places. One of my favorite eras to visit has been Biblical Jerusalem, and I discovered one research rabbit hole after another when I was studying this fascinating era in history. The idea for Woman of Stones came after I read The … Continue reading The Research Rabbit Holes I’ll Never Forget: What Biblical Jerusalem Taught Me About Writing Historical Fiction
My Favorite Books of Summer 2026
As usual, I've been thinking a lot about books lately. I've considered the books that made me into the writer I became as well as the books I read to write The Professor of Eventide. Needless to say, I spent a lot of time reading this summer and my tastes were eclectic. The books I … Continue reading My Favorite Books of Summer 2026
The Books I Read to Write The Professor of Eventide
Whenever I begin a new novel, I do a lot of reading around that project. Whether I’m researching a certain historical aspect or I’m looking to see what other authors have done with that topic, I enjoy learning as much as I can. While not everything I read ends up in the novel (in fact, … Continue reading The Books I Read to Write The Professor of Eventide
When Setting Becomes Story: How To Write About Place in Fiction
Since I spoke about how place shapes my own writing last week, this week I wanted to share some tips about how you might include place in your own writing. I love writing about place because I love reading about place. When I think of my favorite novels, I recall the characters, certainly, but I … Continue reading When Setting Becomes Story: How To Write About Place in Fiction
How Place Shapes My Writing: From Coastal Maine to Victorian England
I’ve been lucky enough to travel a little and see some different corners of the world. As a reader, I’ve even time-traveled from Ancient Rome to Victorian England and countless other times and places in between. There is something about these various places that captures my attention and taps into my imagination. I find that … Continue reading How Place Shapes My Writing: From Coastal Maine to Victorian England
How to Structure Your Novel When You’re a Pantster: A Guide for Discovery Writers
I’ve said several times over the years that I’ve gone from being more focused on outlines to being more of a discovery writer. Some writers do well with an outline, and in the past, when I was less sure of my own writing process, I’d obsess over the outline. The truth is, some writers enjoy … Continue reading How to Structure Your Novel When You’re a Pantster: A Guide for Discovery Writers
One Scene I Almost Cut From The Professor of Eventide (and Why I Kept It)
If you’ve been writing as long as I have, you already know that every novel we write contains scenes that seem to come effortlessly as well as scenes that have to fight to survive. In The Professor of Eventide, there was one scene (or really a series of scenes) that I came very close to … Continue reading One Scene I Almost Cut From The Professor of Eventide (and Why I Kept It)
The Books That Shaped The Writer I Became
When I think about the writer I’ve evolved into, after more than 20 years of learning and honing my craft, I can trace part of that journey through four books in particular: Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott, Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg, David Copperfield by Charles Dickens, and Leaves of Grass by … Continue reading The Books That Shaped The Writer I Became
How I Know a Story is Finished (Or Not)
Since I finished The Professor of Eventide, I’ve had some time to think about how I know when a book is finished. At what point is the book done done and at what point am I still tinkering just for the sake of changing things? I’ll start with the obvious answer: every author is different … Continue reading How I Know a Story is Finished (Or Not)