The two things I love most in the world are teaching and creative writing. With my MFA in writing from Vermont College, I have had the great fortune to combine the two. Since graduating I’ve taught everything from creative writing to academic writing at the university level as well as writing workshop on the lovely island of Cyprus, in Greece and in the USA.
Two weeks, ten pages, a just-for-you-intensive Finished up Nano or just have a first draft a second draft, a draft four-hundred-twenty-two, and don’t know what to do? Two weeks, ten pages, a just-for-you intensive mentorship is perfect for you. We’ve all taken classes, sat through workshops and lectures and often felt this isn’t what I …
Who cares about your story? You’ve put your heart, soul and every drop of blood into your characters, and the story they have to tell. You’ve created a compelling plot where characters run a gauntlet of obstacles. You’ve edited, deep edited, made sure every single word sing. And you’re still getting critique partners, beta readers …
Conflict. Conflict. Conflict. Conflict, conflict, conflict builds tension. We’ve heard the tension-refrain at conferences, in workshops and in books. We know we must have tension. Tension on every page. So, we wrote stories filled with murders, thefts, lost hope, arguments, sword fights, gun battles, chase scenes. You name it, we threw all kinds of conflict …
Conflict. Conflict. Conflict. Conflict, conflict, conflict builds tension. We’ve heard the tension-refrain at conferences, in workshops and in books. We know we must have tension. Tension on every page. So, we wrote stories filled with murders, thefts, lost hope, arguments, sword fights, gun battles, chase scenes. You name it, we threw all kinds of conflict …
With information coming at us from all sides, at all times of the day, the world has become a here and now kind of place. No wonder authors, agents, editors and readers want to feel that same kind of immediacy with stories. They scream for deep point of view. And I mean deep!! What You’ll …
You know the theory, read the books, have taken the classes, but still get critique groups/partners, agents, or editors saying: “Something’s off.” “The chapter doesn’t work.” “The scenes don’t come alive” “The conflict is bland.” “The story is too small.” And you thunk! Your head your heart, all your hard work. Heck, you’ve poured your …
From Blah to Beats: Giving Your Chapters a Pulse Read More »
Your words shine and each line glisten. But you’re still getting rejections! Pansters and plotters, at some point you’re going to have to step back from the words, the lines, and even the paragraphs, and look at the big picture issues. Diving deep into developmental edits is an intense fourteen lecture course for those writers …
Depending on who you ask, there are 2, 4, 7, 9 or 13 different plots for a writer to use. Regardless of who you believe, with a finite number of what can happen, you’d better a find a way to a make your story stand out among the mass. And there is no better to …