One of the most remarkable things about reading novels and stories from the 1800s is the languid and comprehensive way writers describe characters. Writers like Herman Melville and Nathaniel Hawthorne spend a great deal of energy on precise and evocative detail about even minor characters (and not just because they were often paid by the […]
Writing Advice
Should you write quickly or slowly? Yes.
Happy NaNoWriMo to all who are participating! For the uninitiated, that’s National Novel Writing Month, where intrepid writers try to complete a novel in a month. It is quite a feat to write a novel entirely, let alone in a thirty day month that also includes a major holiday. I’ve never participated in NaNoWriMo. It’s […]
What makes a great setting in a novel
The Reading Rainbow theme song really had it right. One of the best parts of reading is the way books open up new worlds to us, whether a story is set in an unpronounceable ancient kingdom, the far reaches of outer space, ancient history, the distant future, or even the real world but maybe somewhere […]
How to raise the stakes in a novel
Along with “show don’t tell” and “write in an original voice,” “raise the stakes” is one of the most oft-repeated and misunderstood bits of writing advice out there. What does “raising the stakes” literally mean? And how does one go about raising said stakes? What kind of stakes are we even talking about raising, tentpoles […]
What I learned about writing from being an editor
Hi writerly people! Well, I have some exciting news to share in my third guest post: I just published a novel! We Are Not Like Them came out on October 5th and it’s been a wild ride, including a thrilling (and nerve wracking!) appearance on national television as the Good Morning America book club pick! […]
How to make your novel un-put-down-able
Answer: Lots of glue! But seriously, there are some books that adhere to our hands and we lose sleep and abandon personal hygiene in order to finish. Why is that? How are some books able to grip us and not let us go while others are a slog? The reason varies from book to book […]
