It’s time to talk about Novel Interruptus. I found this ingenious term on another writing blog and now I can’t remember which one, so if you know, please tell me so I can give the author credit.
“Regardless of what the advertising campaigns may tell us, we can’t have it all. Sacrifice is not an option, or an anachronism; it’s a fact of life. We all cut off our own limbs to burn on some altar. The crucial thing is to choose an altar that’s worth it and a limb you can […]
I love those posts where you have to guess the opening lines of classic novels. I’m usually pretty good at it, despite the fact that I’m actually not a huge classics person.
“There’s an old writing rule that says ‘Don’t have two character names start with the same letter’, but I knew at the beginning that I was going to have more than 26 characters, so I was in trouble there. Ultimately it comes down to what sounds right. And I struggle with that, finding the right […]
As a writer, it’s a mantra you hear over and over: “Show, don’t tell.” There’s a reason it’s repeated endlessly: it’s one of the main things that separates good writing from bad writing.
I get a lot of questions when people find out I wrote a novel. One of the most popular is: how did you start? So if you’re thinking of writing a novel, I thought I’d share some advice on how to get started.
Image found here Do you base your characters on real people? From everything I’ve read, this is somewhat of a no-no. I remember reading somewhere that J.K. Rowling has stated that none of her characters are based directly on real-life people (except for Crookshanks, who’s based on a real-life cat! I love that), but that shades […]
I finished my first novel–I mean edited-down, polished-to-a-gleaming-shine, FINISHED-finished–about 3 months ago now. When I was done, I thought, FINALLY. Now my writing life can finally begin! You know nothing, self of 3 months ago…
The other day I came across this article and found it fascinating. Basically it states that the difference between writers and non-writers (or experienced writers and amateurs) can be measured in the way they brainstorm:
Tana French (whom I LOVE) on accidentally becoming a writer (from this interview):
