Time is always tricky in structuring a novel, even one with a single line of action. Maybe your two sleuths split up to investigate two leads at once. In what order do you present their interviews? Because at some point you’ll need to bring them back together, and it should be in the smoothest possible way. But even more challenging is the ordering of a book with multiple timelines—two characters’ independent stories, for example, that braid together until they unite … Read More »

The story that you doubted about, shed blood, sweat, and tears over, and dedicated countless hours to is finally in the hands of eager readers. Much to your delight (and relief), they love the story and wonder what happens next! They raise questions about a character’s fate, a relationship, or what the future holds for the plot itself. They’re asking about a sequel to your story. Do you write one? If you decide to, how do you begin? Here are … Read More »

In a recent interview Ted Kooser (U. S. Poet laureate: 2004-2006, Pulitzer Prize winner) said “I often start with a metaphor and build the poem out with that association.” So, not until he’s found the right metaphor does he begin. This makes sense to me, for I would hazard to say that all good poetry is metaphor—poems mean something more than what the words denote. The ability of poetry to stretch itself beyond the page and into our lives with … Read More »

Once upon a time, it was common for books to be written in an omniscient third-person voice. A disembodied and all-seeing narrator told you the story, gentle reader, and he knew what every character was thinking and how they looked as well. Increasingly, though, readers seem to want the in-head experience of close third-person. One character carries them around through the action of the novel, and they see the world and other characters though her eyes. She can report her … Read More »

Have you lost control of your story? Has it decided the path you charted (by plotting, pantsing, or whatever) is not the way things are going to go? Is it a rebellion of sorts? A mutiny? Before you hoist the white flag of surrender, there are strategies to consider that can bring things back into balance and help you regain the upper hand. Plot In the Ditch? The story that was set to begin with a cruise to the Bahamas … Read More »

A major challenge that writers for young readers face is having one’s work taken seriously. And I don’t mean just the response to the published book/piece, but the actual work of writing for a young audience. A sure-fire way to make a kind, unassuming children’s author foam at the mouth, or go for the jugular is to comment: “Well, that must have been easy to write, it’s only nine words long.” Or, “That must not have taken long to write.” … Read More »