I think one of the biggest challenges facing a writer is figuring out her weaknesses. After all, who wants to dwell on weaknesses, which most of us can easily equate with negatives? But the only way to effectively battle weaknesses is to acknowledge you have them. That’s the first step, anyway. Once you acknowledge them, […]
Jack London was one of my favorite authors as a kid. I remember loving The Call of the Wild and White Fang. And I remember adoring his short story “To Build a Fire.” It’s apt that he was born on January 12, because when I think of him, I’m reminded of a winter’s night. That’s […]
Disclaimer: I wrote this post in bits and spurts during my viewing of the entirety of Breaking Bad. Bottom line: I loved the pilot and season one. I stuck with it through seasons two and three, struggling a bit during season three. Seasons 4 and 5 exceeded my expectations and kept me riveted, mostly because […]
I don’t know about you, but awesome books turn me on. No, not in that way (OK, maybe sometimes). What I mean is awesome books get me excited to get back to the page — my pages — and start writing. I have two distinct memories from my adolescence when I learned this lesson. The […]
I mentioned to a friend that my novel could be facing more “gutting” ahead, my word for revising and editing. He wrote back, “It sounds astonishing that after three revisions you could still get it gutted and have an enormous pile of work to do again. Are you feeling positive about it?” Here’s how I responded: Think […]
Getting rid of word turds is a big part of my revision process. Because, let’s face it: word turds can stink up your writing. Think flabby, unnecessary words like “very” and “just.” Think overused directional words like “glanced” and “looked.” Think of your own word crutches. For one of my earlier books, I overused the […]
A crappy Monday was made instantly better after fielding questions from a bunch of 10-year-olds on a conference call. The topic? How to write a mystery. They’re writing an 8-minute play that will be performed in March. Here is a (somewhat blurry) screen shot of their questions, but you’ll get the gist. My favorite: “What […]
I fell down a dangerous rabbit hole today, one that’s littered with entries from a big-bad computer file known as Random Writing From the Last 20 Years. Jesus. I’ve poked around in this file from time to time, but today, I actually read some stuff, and all I have to say is I need to […]
I heard of Project Greenlight when it launched over a decade ago, but I never followed the series. I recently watched the existing three seasons and am now following the new one (and all its controversy). The show is a great lesson in creating art, creating art that sells, and what happens when you’re in the […]
When it comes to my revision process, I often use the word “gut,” as in “I need to gut the damn thing.” It’s an apt visual, since the process is messy, stinky, and results in metaphorical entrails being strewn about the house. I actually love this process and love forcing myself to take major risks […]