April 2012
28 posts
4 tags
Nikky Finney on writer's block
If you believe there is such a thing as “writer’s block” then it will exist and it will find you. Of course there are times when the writing is not smooth, cute, or memorable. But I like to remind myself that my hand still works and therefore writing work of some kind can be done. It took me awhile to totally invest in this truth but once I did it changed everything about my...
6 tags
The dreaded P for platform: an editor's insight →
Meredith Reznick’s smart and insightful blog The Writer’s [Inner] Journey has long been one of my favorite regular reads. This five-question interview with an acquisitions editor is one to note because the editor addresses the dreaded “author platform” and why it’s more than the number of Twitter followers or Facebooks “likes” that you have. Here’s a...
5 tags
Girls of a certain [my] age →
Kim France (of Sassy and Lucky magazine fame, though I preferred her work at Sassy) has launched a new blog: Girls of a Certain Age. It’s just getting its footing (or is it wording?) but, so far, it looks worthy of adding to your reading list. Plus, there’s an interview with my favorite Sassy staffer of all time: Christina Kelly.
3 tags
March 2012
18 posts
1 tag
2 tags
6 tags
Jeanette Winterson’s 10 rules for writing
I pulled this list from The Guardian’s “Ten rules for writing fiction,” described as “Inspired by Elmore Leonard’s 10 Rules of Writing” Because I’m deep in editing a memoir draft, I dropped the fiction reference. Winterson’s rules fit any type of writing, which is appropriate given her just-published memoir Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal?
Turn up for work. Discipline allows creative...
6 tags
News from Portland: an ode to spring fever →
When I moved from Seattle to Denver, the first thing I noticed was how much more energy I had. The source: SUN. I had no idea what a huge difference it made. I lived in the Pacific Northwest for thirteen years, so I had adapted to the gloomy winters. But there is one thing I miss: spring fever. Even with feet of snow, we’ll have bright blue skies in Denver. In Seattle, when we woke to that...
4 tags
3 tags
4 tags
When the website says 'send to the submissions... →
I’ve wondered about this myself, but always assumed it meant “network your way to us.” According to Query Quagmire, perhaps it doesn’t.
4 tags
9 tags
4 tags
“Maybe all one can do is hope to end up with the right regrets.”
– ~ Arthur Miller
4 tags
7 tags
From naked self to compelling narrative voice
It’s rare to hear the word “memoir” mentioned without “voice” following a few words behind. Author Mary Karr (The Liars’ Club, Cherry, and Lit) has said in interviews “In memoir, the only through-line is the character represented by voice. So you better make the reader damn curious about who’s talking.”
So how do you create that voice? Vivian...
4 tags
“I am revising. I am not so much killing my darlings as holding a knife to their...”
– ~ Elizabeth McCracken
I am a huge Elizabeth McCracken fan. She creates the most wonderful, tilted worlds that feel real yet take you into another dimension, like Dorothy stepping into the technicolor Land of Oz.
3 tags
4 tags
Book trailer for Tomboy Style →
Whether or not you’re interested in the content of TOMBOY STYLE by Lizzie Garret Mettler, this book trailer is a great example of what can be done for authors. This trailer is personable, simple and interesting.
