This ain’t no party, this ain’t no disco, this ain’t no fooling around No time for dancing, or lovey dovey. I ain’t got time for that now— —“Life During Wartime” David Byrne, Talking Heads So. . .I just had a disturbing week. Way back in December, right before my vacation,… Read more“The 2 Guaranteed Ways to Ruin Your Novel”
Category: Meet the Editor
That’s me.
Top 10 Blog for Writers
Remember when I asked you guys whom you’d like to see in the Top 10 Blogs for Writers of 2010/2011 at Write to Done? And some of you said, “Justin Bieber”? Just kidding. I don’t even know who Justin Bieber is (only that his name crops up everywhere). No—many of… Read more“Top 10 Blog for Writers”
11 New Year’s Resolutions for Writers in 2011
I will watch the world every day with the eyes of a fly. I’m assuming you know what flies’ eyes look like. But in case you don’t, think of disco balls with independent locomotion. You, personally, are walking through this incredibly vivid, visual, aural, tactile universe all day long every… Read more“11 New Year’s Resolutions for Writers in 2011”
Linking to the Robert Gottlieb interview
in the Paris Review
This one is a Merry Solstice present to all the editors and writers out there in the world. It isn’t even really a post, it’s just a link and a bunch of quotes from a wonderful interview with one of the all-time great editors of our era, Robert Gottlieb—the Paris… Read more“Linking to the Robert Gottlieb interview <br>in the <em>Paris Review</em>”
The 2 Non-Artistic Professions Running
the Artistic World of Contemporary Fiction
MY ANNUAL RANT I promised last week that I’d explain this week why almost all of what’s widely publicized as contemporary fiction these days falls into the lowest-quality categories that exist: Telling really badly, Telling mediocrely-to-competently, and Showing really badly. I’ll tell you straight off it’s a goddamn artistic crime,… Read more“The 2 Non-Artistic Professions Running<br>the Artistic World of Contemporary Fiction”
The 6 Degrees of Show vs. Tell, Rated by Quality
So, I’m going to explain to you guys today the difference between showing and telling and why everyone’s always saying to you, “Show, don’t tell!” even while you ransack contemporary fiction in vain for proof. Wouldn’t you like to know? Showing = storytelling in scenes in which characters move and… Read more“The 6 Degrees of Show vs. Tell, Rated by Quality”
4 Reasons Best Sellers Get to Suck & You Don’t
According to Publishers Weekly, the top 50 million books sold in the U.S. in 2009 were all written by the same 26 people. How does that happen? Think about it. Readers know their names. You can test this one. Are you famous? Absolutely no facility with the written word, no… Read more“4 Reasons Best Sellers Get to Suck & You Don’t”
6 Ways to Shoot Yourself in the Foot
We’ve all done it. We write what feels like the most heart-wrenching, glorious, meaningful story ever put into words, and we polish it until it’s as beautiful as a rare seashell. Then we hand it around, to our writing workshop or critique circle or peer group or dedicated readers, and… Read more“6 Ways to Shoot Yourself in the Foot”
4 Post-Its to Stick Up Over Your Writing Desk
When you sit down to write today, take a moment to scribble these 4 things on 4 post-its. Then stick ’em up over your writing desk. “What if. . .” Write down the “what if?” PREMISE of your novel. Then every time you look up, pondering where to go after… Read more“4 Post-Its to Stick Up Over Your Writing Desk”
3 Reasons to Quit Writing, 3 Reasons Not to Quit Writing
3 REASONS TO QUIT It’s hard as hell. Boy, nobody warned you, did they? You were going to have fun. You had this incredible idea about a wonderful fictional world peopled by amazing characters, with internal and external conflict like the Fall of the Roman Empire. You had words and… Read more“3 Reasons to Quit Writing, 3 Reasons <em>Not</em> to Quit Writing”