Stepping Back

The End. I’ve written those words again.  I’ve unwound the thread of my story all the way to its finish.  The next thing is to look it over to see what more needs doing, and what needs doing differently. It’s a mental adjustment.  I’ve been living with this thing for...

Writers on Writing

So you want to be a writer, eh? And why not? It’s a great life.  Let’s hear what some of those writers have had to say about it. For those of us who are feeling undervalued, the problem was diagnosed as long ago as the 18th century: “That...

Beachcombing

All right, I admit it.  I did. I stole from someone else’s novel. I had been reading a retelling of the Arthur story.  I wasn’t thinking a great deal about it, except the usual “I wouldn’t have done it like that” thoughts that authors often think when reading someone...

Exercise: that first idea

Think of a random word. Last time I did this (it was on a school visit) I came up with “olive-pitter”. Never mind if you think it’s two words. Fit that word into a sentence. The sentence must leave you asking questions. My sentence was “it’s hard to commit...

Planning: Three Tools

So we’ve got an idea for a story. We’re excited about it. We know what kind of story it’s going to be. It’s time to start planning out how we’ll tell it. Sorry? Time to do what? Wait a moment… Disclaimer: Writers are Different Some...