Gather 'round…
New goal: Write with the passion with which The Lone Bellow performs. Seriously, we saw them last night at the Stoughton Opera House, and they were nothing short of amazing. The video is good, but it doesn't do them justice. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJyf5NqiMNE
Why do we? Why do I? It seems to me that writing has to be a non-optional part of life for it to work. Something so integral to who you are that it might reside up there in the upper echelons with lasagna and chocolate. You know, just below faith and breathing and kidneys. I... Continue Reading →
Applied simply... conflict is little more than incident, anecdote or news. Made complex, active, climactic and complete, it becomes a plot. Developed in depth and with layers added, plot in turn enacts our human frailty and fears. It asserts the lasting strength of our dreams. Donald Maass, Writing the Breakout Novel
So, there's a little more to my Donald Maass epiphany... A while ago, just after I started learning a little bit about the publishing business, I ran into him. Not him, really. That would be worthy of, like, a whole post. With pictures. As it is, I met him through an interview I stumbled... Continue Reading →
Virtue stands in the middle (between excess and defect). St. Dorotheos of Gaza, Discourses and Sayings 'Nuf said.
Apparently I didn't give a satisfying enough description of the writing conference. I have been told it was a little lacking. Ahem. I could tell you who was there, and what wisdom they expertly imparted, but if you really wanted to know that, you probably already would have visited the website. You still can. Its... Continue Reading →
Yeah. That's pretty much all I can say. Weekend with Your Novel was amazing. Workshops, guest speakers, agents, critique groups. All crammed into 24 exhausting hours. Exhausting, and encouraging, and challenging, and humbling, and did I mention exhausting? I was in bed by 9 both nights. So much for making the most of my time. On... Continue Reading →
A few months ago I spent a weekend at the family cabin and did a lot of reading, mostly on the subject of getting published. On the way home I was resigning myself to the fact that I may have to attend a writers' conference - or seven - if ever I want to see... Continue Reading →
My very being is a sacrifice. A service to the human race. I feed them, shelter them, warm them. Without me, they are a suffering lot indeed. I give everything I am, even unto my own death and cremation. Not complaining, not resisting, no objections at all do I offer. I cool them in the... Continue Reading →
I've read much about how rewriting can become an illness, an unstoppable virus that can take over your life and paralyze you. Until last month, I wondered at these authors, making such heinous claims. I have been writing my novel for over a year without looking back, in true NaNoWriMo form, only rereading when I... Continue Reading →
"Just write. Write whatever comes out on the page. Don't worry about content, grammar, anything. Just write." We've all been told this at some point in our lives. It is not advice given exclusively to writers. If anyone has ever been in charge of our education, we've been told to just get some words on paper.... Continue Reading →
Music. It can be so powerful, in every dimension imaginable. I have been a captive of the music of Mumford and Sons for several years, and for whatever reason, I never tire of them. Their music is nothing if not honest, and in their honesty they convey consistently more true emotion than one usually hears... Continue Reading →
Tales From the Nexus 