Michelangelo once said: “Trifles make perfection but perfection is no trifle.” A few small details can lead to long strides on becoming a better writer. Tried and true tenets—show don’t tell, limit adverbs, use (or don’t use) dialogue tags, active voice not passive voice—are all familiar to most … Read More
There is a long-running argument concerning character-driven vs. plot-driven writing, where the former is called literary and the latter formulaic. Note which one gets the derogatory label that plot-driven writers abhor. Despite my work being primarily character-driven, I take the position that one cannot thrive without the other. And yet, … Read More
What does it take to write a book, especially a memoir? I read a couple books on how to write a memoir, and I took Susie Baxter’s course on writing a memoir; but I have no experience on writing anyone else’s memoir. That would seem to be a strange form … Read More
Who are these pompous pedants who preach what a writer should and should not do? They forbid one to start with a question. But I already did and I’m glad. And they say don’t begin a sentence with “but” or “and.” But I’m doing both. And I’m even more glad. … Read More
