If you're not sure if you've finished your manuscript, slide on over to the Grub Daily blog and see my post It's Done When It's Done. … [Read more...] about When is Your Manuscript Finished?
creative writing tips
Who Let the Joy Out? Humph, Humph.
You've heard that expression (which always sounded to me like nothing more than an utterly fatuous promise) that when the student is ready, the teacher will appear? I’d returned from the Muse and the Marketplace writers conference held earlier this month, in Boston, feeling first overwhelmed by the … [Read more...] about Who Let the Joy Out? Humph, Humph.
Charles Schwab, Poet, Publishes Second Chapbook
Charles Schwab has taken creative writing classes with me for about five years, during which I've marveled at his incredible ability with words and ideas, as well as his prolific production of work. I wrote about Charlie here when he published his first collection of poems, Keeping Account. Now, he … [Read more...] about Charles Schwab, Poet, Publishes Second Chapbook
The Perceptive Poetry of Charles R. Schwab
Even though he’s a writing student of mine, I can’t take complete credit for Charlie Schwab’s success. When I met him, Charlie was 89 years old, the active and knowledgeable Business Manager of our local Senior Center. Having only recently started writing poetry, he had already given a couple of … [Read more...] about The Perceptive Poetry of Charles R. Schwab
Who Cares If You Write?
I’ve got a quotation over my desk by the novelist Louis Auchincloss. In large font, it reminds me daily, hourly that, “A man can spend his whole existence never learning the simple lesson that he has only one life and that if he fails to do what he wants with it, nobody else really cares.” I've … [Read more...] about Who Cares If You Write?
Allyson Latta: The Best Memoirs Don’t Preach
I regularly check Allyson Latta's web site for meaningful ideas for memoir writers. In her guest post that follows, Allyson explains how preachiness mars a memoir and she offers practical strategies for avoiding it in your manuscript. - Lynette We were sitting cross-legged on the floor in my … [Read more...] about Allyson Latta: The Best Memoirs Don’t Preach
Clichés Bugging You? Me, too.
I used to think of journalists as the leaders, rather than the lemmings, of our language. Well, maybe I was thinking of print journalists, New Yorker writers, who don’t go in for clichés as broadcast journalists too often do. They (and the self-aggrandizing pundits who appear on their shows) seem to … [Read more...] about Clichés Bugging You? Me, too.
Does Your Writing Need an Editor?
It probably does. An editor finds the errors in your manuscript that you've overlooked—which happens if you've been staring at your words until your vision's blurred, and your forehead hits the table in front of you. Or, maybe you didn't overlook those errors. Maybe you made mistakes you didn't … [Read more...] about Does Your Writing Need an Editor?
Quit Complaining and Write
In my roles as a reader, writing instructor, and coach, it's my job to encourage writers. And there's little I enjoy more. I want to see more writers writing, and more good work published. But those writers who've been fooling with Chapter One for two years, who can't get the story down because the … [Read more...] about Quit Complaining and Write