What if you’re not an aspiring writer anymore? What if you’re actually a writer? Perhaps it’s time for you to take a bigger risk. If you’ve studied and practiced and honed your craft for many years, another writing class might not be what you need anymore. When you’re already a good writer, signing up for… [Read More]
The mental and emotional athleticism of writing a novel.
Have you watched Arrival, yet? The film is adapted from Story of Your Life, a novella by Ted Chiang. (Link to book) Without giving too much away, I can say this: it’s all about language, story, and time. I can’t stop thinking about it. The way the protagonist’s whole life changes as a result of… [Read More]
How to write a book.
We’re building a shed this fall. The first thing we did was measure the space and pour a concrete pad on the ground for the foundation. We drilled the wood frame into the concrete. We used hurricane clips for the walls and trusses — steel clamps that hold the building in place even in high… [Read More]
The magical powers of a bookseller.
Last month I spent some time on Cortes Island — a remote island off the coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia. At the Hollyhock Centre, I let an incredible group of twenty writers loose in the wild every day for a week. I asked them to come back from the forest with craft lessons from… [Read More]
What Personality Type Is Your Character?
Try using personality types as a kind of scaffolding when you set characters in scene. Put them together and see how they are different, and where they are similar. When I was exploring Eleven and Lilian’s characters in my novel Radiant Shimmering Light, I made notes on their Myers-Briggs personality types. Lilian is an INFP,… [Read More]
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