In How to Write a Romantic Comedy Novel, Part 1, I spoke of the highly recommended, must have at your fingertips tools to gather prior to writing a romantic comedy. Among those tools, a styptic pencil rated at the top of the list. Why? The secret is out. Each word is bled, drop by precious… Read more »
The sticker on my laptop reading “I am silently correcting your grammar” might make me chuckle, but it is not, in fact, true. As an editor, people sometimes send me screenshots of misspellings and grammatical errors that they found funny. Again, I may chuckle, but before I declare that writing “wrong,” I must first make… Read more »
So, you want to write about your dysfunctional family. Well, good for you. (And if you’re one of the lucky few who wants to write about your functional family, I’m not your Huckleberry). Family dynamics are difficult enough to grasp, let alone write about. But when properly explored, they make for powerful stories. Here’s a… Read more »
Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Amy Alznauer. Amy lives in Chicago with her husband, two children, a dog and her four puppies, a parakeet, sometimes chicks and a part-time fish, but, as of today, no elephants or peacocks. Check back. Her writing has won the Annie Dillard Award for Creative Nonfiction, the Christopher… Read more »
One of my favorite types of books is historical fiction, so it stands to reason that I love historical mysteries. Imagine my happiness at discovering mystery series starring famous writers as sleuths. I’m surprised I was able to stand my excitement when I discovered mystery series with mystery authors as the sleuths. The following seven… Read more »
Hey writers! In my past few articles we’ve been studying how to read with a purpose, and a fantastic way of leveling up our reading analysis skills is using the Story Grid Scene Analysis Template. As a quick reminder for readers who aren’t familiar with the Story Grid Scene Analysis Template, take a few minutes… Read more »
It happens to all writers. Your head is full of ideas that paint great pictures in your head, which you’re longing to put on paper, but the muse Calliope just isn’t there with inspiration for you. But if the mountain does not come to Mohammed, then Mohammed must go to the mountain. In other words,… Read more »
I came late to the writing life. When I did arrive, it was with misconceptions, fantasies, myths, and misinformation. I discovered that I was not alone in this, but rather many other newcomers were also finding their hopes and dreams rooted not in reality but in wishful thinking. It’s a tough dichotomy: writing fiction requires… Read more »
Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Nathan Makaryk. Nathan is the author of Nottingham, which deconstructs the mythology of Robin Hood in a realistic historical context. Nathan is a playwright, theater-owner, director, stage combat choreographer, and comedian living in Southern California. Nottingham was based on his critically-acclaimed original play The Legend of Robin Hood…. Read more »
If you’re supposed to write what you know, then it makes sense you’d want to linger in the good moments. Food nostalgia is especially intoxicating — the way the salty air bounced off of your cappuccino on a rooftop in Positano or how your main character sat on her porch every evening eating cheesecake and… Read more »
