A Conversation with K.M. Walton: Author of Cracked K.M. Walton is not only a talented writer, but she’s also an inspiration—and we’re not just saying that because she shares a literary agent with one of our coeditors. Despite years of…
You Are a Writer: Dress the Part
Some say you are what you eat, while for others it’s all about what you wear. We can achieve a lot in our fiction by how we dress our characters: clothes can indicate setting, either geographical or historical; can reflect…
Leveling Up: An Editing Technique
This week I read about a new editing technique called Leveling Up. It actually came from a colleague in teaching who uses it with his class when they do a piece of creative writing. He hands out cards with terms…
How to Reach Clarity in Your Writing
For me, the hardest part of a first draft is the middle. I start with a very clear beginning and I know exactly where the story is going. But the drift of space in the middle of the story, the…
Rejection Equals Success
This week I received my first rejection of 2014. This may sound odd, but I hope it’s the first of many. You see, receiving rejections means two very good things. First, my work is out there in the world being…
The Writer’s Slow Sprint
Last week I wrote about how sleeping better can help to eke out a little more writing time per day. This week, I’ve been thinking about slowing down. I struggle with being realistic sometimes. I want to write a novel…