Our Latest Blog Posts

They’re Not What You Think: A Good Character/Bad Character Surprise

|

I’ve reflected before on the power of surprise in novels. But I’d like to share a few thoughts now about a certain kind of surprise—perhaps the most heart-wrenching kind, because it’s so relatable. That is, the “good” character who turns out to be bad, or the “bad” one who finally shows himself to be good(ish). The Good Are Bad... Read More »

Getting Started: Even with a Not-so-great Idea

|

I’ve been thinking about how one generates ideas for poems, stories, novels—or anything for that matter, like engineered new-fangled whatnots, or works of visual or auditory art. I suspect some of you are like me, wasting time thinking you don’t have an idea. And so, you don’t write or make other kinds of art. Last year I attended a... Read More »

Writing That Dedication Page

|

The time has finally come to write the dedication page to the story you’ve sweat blood and tears over. Should be easy enough, right? Sometimes it seems that these little blurbs are harder to write than the book itself. Let’s toss around some ideas to help you get this important part of your book written. Who? Who should you... Read More »

Poetry Short Form: The Rowdy Chastushka

|

Sit your chastushka down and raise the vodka in salute. Does that sound a little naughty? Well, it might. The chastushka is a short funny, ironic, or naughty Russian verse form, often on the same intellectual level as the limerick. If you’re quick on the draw and love working with silly rhymes, or satirical themes, the chastushka is for... Read More »

The Question I Missed

|

When I was in high school, I missed a lot of questions on a lot of tests. But there’s one question I’ll never forget. It was pretty simple. The image displayed a slice of the earth’s interior, with a question: What is the name of the stuff in the middle? I thought of two answers. One was “the core... Read More »

Filling Your Characters with Emotion

|

One usually approaches this topic as “filling scenes with emotion” although, if you think about it, it’s people who experience emotion. If your characters are feeling it, then they’ll embue the whole scene with it. And, because of the wonderful faculty of compassion, readers will start to twang with the same emotional resonance. Where do you stand? The exact... Read More »

Too Wrapped Up in Writing?

|

Writers are dedicated, committed, sometimes obsessed individuals. Their creativity seldom gives them a moment’s peace. Some writers work on multiple projects simultaneously, which amps up the pressure to create even more and leaves little, if any, time to just chill a little. So, how does a writer take a break without feeling like they’ve abandoned their work, impatient characters,... Read More »

Deepening Character with Gesture

|

As humans we read signals all the time. If someone flips us the finger, we know that person is angry. If someone throws their arms wide and does a little dance, we know that the person is happy about something. We communicate every day without words. Gestures reveal so much about a character, and about a situation. Reveal is... Read More »