Label: Writing Tips
Story Abounds
I’m thrilled to have a new post up on Writer Unboxed: What is a Natural Storyteller? The answer is . . . your very own brain. Check out the four ways to pick your brain for storytelling tips. And, for more on how to harness your brain’s natural storytelling ability when it comes to writing a story, I’ve recently done a two hour video tutorial for the amazing tech website, Lynda.com. It’s called “Writing Fundamentals: The Craft of Story.” Click … More
Write to Done: 7 Ways to Use Brain Science to Hook and Hold Readers
One thing, and one thing only, hooks readers: curiosity. The brain is hardwired to be far more interested in what happens next, than in the gorgeous language you use to convey it. Today I have the great honor of explaining why, and then offering 7 ways you can use brain science to hook readers and reel them in on the insanely informative, curiosity inducing site, Write to Done. Should this pique your curiosity, click here to read more.
Writing Forward: The Myth of All-You-Can-Eat Sensory Details
I remember reading the first page of a manuscript that waxed eloquent about how the warmth of the sun felt on the back of the protagonist’s hands as she drove down a quiet early morning lane, the way the taste of the sumptuous strawberry she’d eaten for breakfast lingered on her tongue, how the coolness of the steering wheel beneath her palms made her shiver with delight . . . and that’s about all I remember because by then all … More
Writer Unboxed: Unmasking the Muse
When writers mourn that their muse seems to have moved out during the night leaving no forwarding address, it always breaks my heart. Not because the muse ditched them. But because they believe that their talent, hard work and dedication alone can’t cut it. That is, not without the magical help of some unpredictable, fickle and unknowable “outside” force. I say it’s high time we unmask the myth of the muse, and give credit where credit is due. And I … More
The Making of a Modern Love Essay
Publishing a Modern Love essay in the New York Times has launched many a literary career. The competition is fierce, even long established writers continually try and fail. And so it was thrilling when my friend Michelle Fiordaliso called to say that her essay had been chosen — and to run on Mother’s Day, no less. It was doubly thrilling for me, because I’d had the honor of working with her as she crafted the piece. As with any story … More
The Most Potent Communication Tool in the World: STORY
This week I had the great good fortune to be interviewed (you can download it here) by renowned communications consultant Andy Goodman, a man who took his love and deep understanding of story and put it to the best use possible — helping good causes and nonprofits translate their message into the world’s most potent communication tool: story. It’s amazing how easy it is to lose sight of the irresistible power of story, considering that our brain is literally wired … More
Great Literature or Gibberish? YOU Decide!
Yesterday, the Pulitzer committee, for the first time since 1977, did not award a prize for fiction. Perhaps it was because literature today just doesn’t measure up to that of yesteryear. With that in mind, I’d like to give you a sentence from what many believe is the greatest novel ever written. Go ahead and read it, but first a word of warning. Not out loud, because unless you’re a star underwater swimmer, you’ll pass out long before you get … More
The Most Embarrassing Thing Happened to Me
This may have happened to you, too. I have a really good friend, someone who knows me, my personal shorthand, and if I had any fears or insecurities about my work – which of course I don’t – she’d know them. Because no doubt we’d have written tons of emails back and forth in which, okay, I may have admitted to a couple of them. And so they’d all be there in a long email chain. I think you know … More
All Is Discovered, FLEE!
Sadly, I’m not an outlaw. The most daring thing I do is, sometimes, cross the street against the light. Not because I’m afraid of getting hit. When I lived in New York City dodging traffic was my sport of choice – the lights be damned. But here in L.A. crossing against the light is illegal, even if it’s the middle of the night and you can see for miles in both directions. So most of the time I stew on … More
The Secrets Of Story, Laid Bear — D’oh!
I’ve always been fascinated by Homer’s Odyssey. Homer Simpson, that is. What amazed me most about The Simpsons, especially in the early days, was that it was one of the most popular shows in America. And yet, it was so subversive. How could a show in which authority of every ilk is not only constantly questioned, but deftly skewered — usually simply by taking it at face value — play so well in Peoria? What brought this question back to … More
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“I’m willing to show good taste, if I can, in somebody else’s living room, but our reading life is too short for a writer to be in any way polite. Since his words enter into another’s brain in silence and intimacy, he should be as honest and explicit as we are with ourselves.” – John Updike
- Jennie Nash: The Making Of A Novel
- Nathan Bransford
- Laurie Abkemeier
- Pub Rants
- Ask Allison Winn
- The Rejecter
- Miss Snark, Gone But Not Forgotten!
- Rachelle Gardner: Rants and Ramblings
- Writer Unboxed
- Meg Cabot
- Caroline Leavitt
- Slushpile
- Karin Gutman: Spirit of Story
- Blog of a Bookslut
- Balls, Buzz & Hype
- Terrible Minds: Irreverent to the Max
