Tag Archives: details

Where Should A Story Start? (Encore)

A story starts at the beginning, right? <cue uproarious laughter> Well, yeah, it should. The problem is, most neophyte novelists think they have to supply a dump truck load of information about their character and his or her situation before … Continue reading

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How I Write

[This is the fifth and, for now, final installment of words of wisdom gleaned by writers who have recently entered the wonderful world of publishing. This episode is by Doris Reidy, a dear friend and one helluva good writer. Please, … Continue reading

Posted in Guest posts, novel writing, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Trigger Words? Really? Oh hell yeah!

Relax. I’m not going to talk about words which might have deleterious effects on certain overly coddled college students who hear them. (This is, generally speaking, a non-political website. I don’t care who you vote for as long as you have a … Continue reading

Posted in Memoir, novel writing, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Where Should A Story Start?

A story starts at the beginning, right? <cue uproarious laughter> Well, yeah, it should. The problem is, most neophyte novelists think they have to supply a dump truck load of information about their character and his or her situation before … Continue reading

Posted in novel writing, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Countering the memoir’s kiss of death

When talking to my students (and clients) about their memoirs, I notice we all tend to avoid the 800-pound gorilla in the garret: boredom. Sadly, far too many of the memoirs being produced today suffer from this condition. They just … Continue reading

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