Articles
How to Find the Best Writing Group for You
There is a writing group to fit every need. There are heavy-duty critique groups that provide written feedback MFA-style. (I was a member of one that had by-laws and a mission statement. It was intense.) There are casual online groups that allow you to email pages...
Your 2018 Writing Resolutions
Whether you love New Year's resolutions or love to hate them, the start of a fresh calendar is a good time to take stock in the past year and think about where you want to go in the next. I've become a convert to the benefits of writing resolutions. Setting writing...
31 Days of Writing Inspiration
I love this time of year. The twinkle lights. The egg nog. The holiday movies I wrap myself in like a cozy blanket. But by the end, I'm drained. I'm usually running on empty and limping across the start line that is the new year. It takes me a while to recover and...
Eighth Annual Great Books to Give…and Get
Books make great gifts! If you've got a long list of people to buy for this holiday season and no idea what to get them, here are a few suggestions from books I enjoyed this year. 12 Recommended Books of the Year For the person who thinks their journals are...
Create Immersive Setting and Place in Just 5 Days
If you’ve been hanging around the writers’ water cooler for a bit, there’s no doubt you’ve heard the term “worldbuilding” followed by the names Rowling or Tolkien spoken in hushed, reverential tones. You may have wondered, “What is it? Do I need it? If so, how do I...
3 Important Questions to Ask Yourself When Writing Descriptions
I've always thought screenwriters have it easy when writing descriptions. Creating a vivid setting in a movie is much quicker than on the page. On the screen, a ten-second pan of the camera gives the viewer everything she needs to know. This would take pages and pages...
The Simple Way to Be a Writer 24/7
Recently I went hiking at Mashomack Preserve on Shelter Island. Mashomack encompasses one-third of the island including woodlands, marshes, ponds, coastline, and grasslands. As pristine as it is, I began my hike with a lot on my mind. My thoughts were spiraling around...
A Surprising Trick to Write Vivid Description
Each October, the Van Cortlandt Manor, a few miles north of Manhattan, hosts the Great Pumpkin Blaze. We’ve never been able to get tickets—by the time we got around to thinking about autumn and Halloween, it was always sold out. This year we didn’t leave it to chance....
A Sensory Writing Exercise from Little Brown Bats
I used to be afraid of bats. I don’t know why. I’d never found one roosting in my attic or even seen one from afar. Maybe it was because they hang upside down (why?) or skulk about in the dark. Then an article in my alumni magazine began to change my perception of...
The Secret to Writing Great Description
There is a new series that I can’t recommend highly enough: Between the Lines, hosted by Kelly Corrigan. She interviewed 16 notable authors including Margaret Atwood, John Grisham, and Imbolo Mbue to find out what story means to them, why they are storytellers, and...
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