Whenever you mention to someone that you’re writing a novel or script or short story, among the first questions is the inevitable “What’s it about?” I hate trying to answer this question.
“Begin at the beginning, and go on till you come to the end: then stop,” the King of Hearts tells the eponymous heroine of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Sometimes, writing advice can feel like that. “Never submit a manuscript that isn’t polished,” we’ll read on agents’ blogs and editors’ Twitter.…
Sometimes, I like to plan. “Well, no s***, Sarah,” I hear some of you say. “You made intricate trails of themed and complex clues for fun! You have every book you own arranged in perfect order on your bookshelves! You used to create floorplans and down-to-5-minutes itineraries for your grade-school slumber parties!”…
Not all characters are likable. Not all of them are supposed to be or need to be… at least, not for a reader. But writers do have to like all the characters in a story — not necessarily because those characters are right or because they’re great people or even…
Or, rather, on not revising for a deadline. See, it’s easy to decide on an arbitrary deadline, the date by which my story or chapter should be done. I’m really good at that. The hard — nay, impossible — part is actually meeting it. I don’t think this is because I’m bad at revising.…
There are some books that make me want to grab the main characters by the scruffs of their necks, sit them down, and order, “OK. You, tell him what you saw. You, tell her the thing you learned from the guy. NOW STOP RUNNING AROUND DOING USELESS THINGS AND HELP EACH OTHER.”…
One of the reasons my first novel manuscript took me years to complete, despite being relatively short and simple, was passion. I loved my story — you have to, to pull off writing of that length — but sometimes I didn’t feel like working on it.
Hey, everyone! I’ve been off in Las Vegas and Phoenix, AZ watching the world premiere of my play Bitch of the Baskervilles, starring Socratic Theatre Collective’s talented Liz Bragg as Watson and Amanda O’Halloran as Holmes, and directed by Current Theatrics’ Ruth Pe Palileo. Brilliant show, brilliant cast, and brilliant…
(But first: Calgary congratulations to my cousins V and M on their lovely wedding this weekend, and a beautiful Berlin birthday to my littlest cousin. Many happy returns for all of you!) Me? Revising right now? Hahaha, why would you think that? No, I totally decided to make this list…
Quick question: what do Harry Potter, Batman, Cinderella, and Oliver Twist have in common? Hopefully, you answered something like this: their parents are deeeaaaaad! Family, dead or otherwise, often plays a role in main characters’ fictional lives.