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
Fiction Writing
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
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)
The No-Tropes Manifesto: Why I Choose the Unknown Over Formula
I feel a little funny saying this, especially since I was the executive editor of a literary journal for 23 years, but I hadn’t paid much attention to the word trope until a few years ago when it seemed like suddenly everyone was talking about it. These days, we see posts or vlogs about How … Continue reading The No-Tropes Manifesto: Why I Choose the Unknown Over Formula
Why Character Matters More Than Plot in Literary Fiction
Many writers are familiar with the long-standing debate over whether character or plot is more important. If you’re into Greek philosophers, Aristotle believed that, when speaking of tragedy, plot is more important and character is secondary. Others, who are not Aristotle, argue that character is the most important. What is the answer? It’s a trick … Continue reading Why Character Matters More Than Plot in Literary Fiction
The Challenges of Editing a Novel After the Drafting Stage
I’ve been pretty lucky with readers’ responses to my writing style. I’ve had so many questions about how I write the way I do, and what I try to explain to other writers is that I don’t write like that–I edit like that. When I’m writing a draft, I’m simply trying to get the words, … Continue reading The Challenges of Editing a Novel After the Drafting Stage
The Art of Ending Well: How to Write Satisfying Conclusions
Last week, I wrote about what finishing a book teaches you as a writer. This week, I wanted to take a look at what a good ending in fiction looks like. One of the first things I know about any story I’m writing is how it ends. For my current #WIP, I saw the final … Continue reading The Art of Ending Well: How to Write Satisfying Conclusions
More Unlocking the Magic of Writing: A Guide to Completing Your Novel
Are You A Plotter or a Pantster? We see these quizzes online—are you a plotter or a pantster?—and we’re supposed to fit neatly into one box or the other. If you’re not familiar with the terms, a plotter is a writer who plots out the story before writing and a pantser is someone who “flies … Continue reading More Unlocking the Magic of Writing: A Guide to Completing Your Novel
Modern-Day Salem Witches
Sometimes Characters Are Easy To Discover Sometimes when I’m writing a story I have to stretch a bit for a character as I try to figure out exactly who this person is. Writers are like actors in the sense that we have to understand the evolution of the characters we’re writing about. Sometimes I have … Continue reading Modern-Day Salem Witches