Part II: LESSONS AND EXPERIENCES Two screenwriters, a memoirist, three novelists, one creative nonfiction author, and a poet: This is what a typical breakfast table in the Pierson Dining Hall during the 5 days of Session II of YWC 2014 … Continued
A project journal is kept for the purpose of recording thoughts, activities, reflections, anything related to an underway project, from its inception to completion. For writers, their projects could be anything from a novel to a group of poems. As … Continued
“The spider’s doing trapeze! “I am green on the outside and blue on the inside.” “I did a waterfall in my pants.” These are just some examples of how the under-five crowd uses language. The ease with which they express … Continued
It’s fairly common advice from seasoned writers: once you’ve completed a draft, get distance from your work. For me, this has been the most valuable piece of advice. Once you’ve sweated through a draft, it’s time to let it steep. … Continued
In addition to knowledge of craft and technique, command over grammar and syntax, and all the other tools of their craft, writers must also draw on their instinct of what constitutes good writing. A writer’s instinct is what tells them … Continued
Write what you know can be taken literally by many writers who shy away from exploring and writing about what they haven’t directly experienced. I feel it needs broader interpretation: To know something isn’t just to have firsthand exposure to … Continued
After years of reading about the writing lives of authors who’ve made it, I feel it can be distilled to these truths: 1- Motivation “I write when I’m inspired and I see to it that I’m inspired at 9 ‘o’ … Continued
We launch a writing project with gusto and passion. We set sail from the Shore of Good Intentions and ride the waves of enthusiasm towards the harbor of our finished project. We are fairly confident we will reach our destination, … Continued
Any serious writer who hears these words wants to stab themselves in the ear with a stylus and skewer their brain. The reason is simple: If you’re committed to your craft, you write NO MATTER WHAT mood you find yourself … Continued
Developing a writing strategy is not just about setting targets like a daily wordcount or number of pages, though that feeds into it. A writing strategy is a master plan that identifies your writing aspirations over the short and long … Continued