The Writing Life
Every story is supposed to have a single, predominant theme, and every detail is supposed to work toward that theme. It isn’t that writers can’t insert smaller themes within the larger one, but they have to be conscientious about the main impulse. It directs every detail, from the characters who inhabit the story to the setting and structure.
We don’t go to the page to make friends. We go to see something other and apart from who we are. – Jodi Angel
Do not covet your ideas. Give away everything you know, and more will come back to you…The problem with hoarding is you end up living off your reserves. Eventually you’ll become stale. If you give away everything you have, you are left with nothing. This forces you to look, to be aware, to replenish. – from Paul Arden’s It’s Not How Good You Are, It’s How Good You Want To Be
Sometimes, we don’t know how far we can rise until we’re asked to. – Mary Murphy, So You Think You Can Dance
[Read more…] about How to be a Better Writer: Rise to the Challenge
Writing about the same topic again and again can feel like approaching a house and always going in through the front door. Find a new entry point. Knock on the screened-in back door. Look for an open window. Climb the trellis to the attic. Start there. [Read more…] about Find a New Entry Point
When you make the wrong decision, there are no rewinds or take-backs. You’re stuck with what you’ve thought and done. You can be entrapped by the remorse, guilt, and shame you feel about that decision, or you can find your way toward freedom. [Read more…] about When You Make the Wrong Decision