In my fifty years of editing and writing, I’ve discovered that certain conditions put me in a more productive frame of mind than others. When the conditions aren’t ideal for me, I get distracted easily. Disarray puts me in a jumpy mood, and I don’t stay on task. A review … Read More
When my daughter was about twelve, she made a profound observation. I was struggling to write a report—couldn’t seem to get the words right, had filled several notebook pages with scratched-out words. “Writing is easy,” my daughter said. “You just put one word after another.” “Not that simple. It has … Read More
Michelangelo once said: “Trifles make perfection but perfection is no trifle.” A few small details can lead to long strides on becoming a better writer. Tried and true tenets—show don’t tell, limit adverbs, use (or don’t use) dialogue tags, active voice not passive voice—are all familiar to most … Read More
There is a long-running argument concerning character-driven vs. plot-driven writing, where the former is called literary and the latter formulaic. Note which one gets the derogatory label that plot-driven writers abhor. Despite my work being primarily character-driven, I take the position that one cannot thrive without the other. And yet, … Read More