Writings, and writing about writing.
In my reading nook with two of my favorite short story collections by Alice Munro and Ottessa Moshfegh I think I might be accidentally writing a book. About a year ago, I wrote a short story, just on a creative impulse. I was in a weird place personally and emotionally, and having dark, off-kilter ideas, …
This article originally appeared in the newsletter of the Phoenix Screenwriters Association. To sign up for their newsletters, filled with screenwriting tips and industry news, go here. After studying and practicing screenwriting for years, and working in TV development in Los Angeles, I decided to try something new, and wrote my first novel, The Plus …
Eight tools from fiction to make you a better screenwriter Read More »
This post is an expansion of an article I originally wrote for Charlotte Lit’s Lit Bits series in their newsletter. For more on Charlotte Lit, including info on an intro to screenwriting course I’ll be teaching for them in February 2023, check out their website. There are a lot of voices in my head when …
Why is imposter syndrome so common among writers? Read More »
Even if you’re not writing a story that one would typically think of as suspenseful—say a mystery, or thriller, or horror piece—you probably do want to keep your readers in suspense. Think of suspense as the invisible fishing wire pulling readers through from paragraph to paragraph, chapter to chapter. If your readers aren’t anticipating something, …
The Two Types of Suspense, and How to Create Them Read More »
So you’ve decided to write a book. So you’re staring at a blank Word document. So what now? In my last post, I talked about the paradox of creativity: that sometimes putting restrictions on the writing process can push you to tap into your imagination. That article includes my thoughts on why this works, as …
The Funnel: One simple approach for going from blank page to book Read More »
The career of a writer is often a case of hurry up and wait. Or more accurately, wait and hurry up. You work on project after project on your own, for free, with no deadlines except those you impose on yourself. This can go on for years. Then, something happens: you advance in a contest …
Loving the Box: How to find inspiration in your limits Read More »
This article was originally written as a guest post for the Charlotte Readers Podcast. Visit their blog for more literary reflections from a variety of writers! There’s a stereotype that writers are solitary creatures whose only contact with the outside world is to gaze contemplatively out windows. I can confirm this from personal experience. Yes, …
Poetry is my safe place as a writer. It’s what I turn to—either to read or to write—when I need a mental pick-me-up, something to wake my mind and tune my senses, or shock me out of a creative rut. It feels like a very free place to play in, since its utter subjectivity almost …
So you need a protagonist, they said. So your protagonist needs an arc, they said. Okay… how do you make that? The protagonist’s arc is crucial, not just for character development, but because it often functions as the spine of the entire story. Of course, there’s no one way to write a character. But there’s …
One simple tool for creating a strong character arc Read More »
Writing is hard. Getting yourself to write, often, is harder. It took two cat naps, three internet breaks, and a muffin just to get me through the writing of this blog post. Here are eight things I remind myself of while I write to push past mental blocks and stay within shouting distance of sanity. …
8 Things to Remember When You’re Struggling to Write Read More »
SARAH
CHARLOTTE READERS PODCAST
