Our Latest Blog Posts
How Judging a Writing Contest Can Help Your Writing
I’ve been a judge for a number of different writing contests for young writers and for adults. I’ve even been the prize in a mentorship contest. As a judge, however, each competition is different in what it will ask of you personally—how much time, thought, and perhaps even research you will have to put into it. Some contests are... Read More »
Writing Powerful Moments
Sitting here in front of the fire (no, I’m not in Florida!) makes me think of fire-like concepts. Like intensity, burning fiercely. Emotional intensity that leaves you physically limp. Intense suspense, so gripping you can’t put the book down. Hilarity that has you holding your sides while tears roll down your cheeks. These are the virtuous extremes that make... Read More »
The Writing Trash Heap
It’s bound to happen. The story you were so eager to write is going nowhere. Or it’s going in too many directions. It doesn’t make sense anymore and bears no resemblance whatsoever to that exciting, glittering tale your mind conjured up. What’s your next move? Tempting as it may be, DO NOT hit the delete button and relegate your... Read More »
Last Minute Gifts for Writers: 2024
It’s that time of year again, and if you’re like me you’re a last-minute shopper. Either that, or someone in your immediate gift-giving circle is desperately pleading with you for gift ideas. Do them a favor—print out this list and others from past holiday seasons on the FWA blog. Put your concerned gift-givers out of their misery. A short... Read More »
After the Writing: Cover Thoughts
Book covers are a tricky business. All of the wonderfulness of your story needs to be reflected in an attention-grabbing cover that will make readers want to choose your book. Now that your story has been written, lets explore some cover thoughts and ideas. Genre It’s important to convey the genre of your book to give potential readers an... Read More »
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 »
In Praise of a Rich Verbal Vocabulary
You don’t have to have read too many books to realize that breadth of vocabulary is a great attribute for a writer. It goes back to Flaubert’s idea of the mot juste—using just the right word. The mot juste We tend to think of adjectives here because they’re descriptors. To describe the house precisely, we need the right adjectives,... Read More »