One of the first decisions every author has to make as she sits down at her keyboard to start a new book is Whose head will I be in? What will be the point of view from which I tell my story? One told in the first person (I) will sound very different than the more common third person (he or she. Or maybe even it). Each conveys a different type of intimacy and inflects the story a bit. Me, … Read More »

On the very first day that I “cared enough to send the very best” for a living, I sat down with the Editorial Director of Hallmark Cards in Kansas City. As someone who routinely wrote book reviews for The Sunday New York Times, Web Schott was the most serious and erudite person I’d ever met. I admit I felt intimidated. After welcoming me to the Writers Room and telling me how things got done, he asked if I had any … Read More »

Since Florida Writers Association (FWA) is in submission season for our Collection Volume 18: Fragments  and as a longtime editor of The Florida Writer, FWA’s official magazine, I am thinking a lot about what editors expect from the work they receive from writers hoping to be published in a literary magazine or anthology. I am sure the following list of what editors look for is true for publications beyond FWA’s, too. Creative engagement with the theme or prompt. The piece … Read More »

Here are two devices that have become very popular in recent years: the prologue and the epilogue. These are little pieces of text, generally only a few pages long, that precede the opening of a book (to set up the story) or after its “The End” (to explain what happens subsequently). Some people like them; some—me included—do not. But in response to the will of the people, I face inserting a prologue into a novel I’m working on. So let’s … Read More »

One of the primary goals of a fiction writer is to create a strong, unforgettable lead character. Yet, most of us have likely discovered that the full measure of many great characters is brought to light by their sidekick, partner, or buddy. This is a person who might share in the story’s adventures. Maybe it’s a character who plays the part of the reader by asking the questions the reader would ask or pointing out what the reader may or … Read More »

Perhaps it seems self-evident to warn “Don’t say the same thing over and over”—yet it needs to be said. Not because authors are a stupid lot (we aren’t), but because of the on-again-off-again nature of writing and other totally understandable things. Let me explain. I’m currently reading a good novel. The characters are interesting. The scenes are described well. The action comes on fast. Yet in the 25 pages I’ve read, it has been said no less than five times … Read More »