Object Lesson
So often in crafting fiction we think about character, plot, and setting. But thinking about specific objects and placing those objects in our fiction can be a great way in to a character and even a plot point. An object…
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Singles by Kate Petersen
Lisanne had known Mike-who-worked-the-door for so long that they no longer said anything to each other, and though he’d stopped carding her years ago, she still took hers out of her wallet and cupped it in her palm as…
National Book Award Winner for Fiction!
National Book Award Winner for Fiction! Jesmyn Ward SING, UNBURIED, SING Here’s all the news on last night’s award ceremonies. Congrats to all the fiction writers, those on the long list and the finalists. Here’s a quick look at each…
New Books Out This Week!
Here’s a quick look at some of the great books out the week of November 13. Happy pub day to all! Louise Erdrich, Future Home of the Living God Harper From Kirkus Reviews: “The idea that evolution could suddenly move…
Surprise!
It’s such a simple idea, really—as good ideas usually are—that surprise is a key element in our work as writers. But somehow, I hadn’t grabbed onto that idea until I took a workshop with Bret Anthony Johnston who believes wholeheartedly…
THE ART OF HISTORY, Christopher Bram
The Art of History, Christopher Bram Graywolf Press, 2016 A recent addition to Graywolf’s wonderful “Art of…” series of books, The Art of History is a terrific resource for any writer. Although writers of historical fiction may be the primary…
New Books Out This Week!
Here’s a quick look at some of the great books out during the first week of November. Happy pub day to all! John Banville, Mrs. Osmond Knopf From Kirkus Reviews: “A sequel to The Portrait of a Lady that may well delight…
Mapping The Setting
We are often as familiar with the settings in our fiction as we are with our own homes and towns. We know in which drawer Ariel keeps her revolver; we know how how long it takes to get to the…
“The Station” by Elizabeth Gaffney
Louisa twisted herself in the cord of the old black wall phone. It went once around her body and five times around her arm. The thing was long enough that you could talk on the phone while rooting through the…
Favorite Opening: “North Of,” Marie-Helene Bertino
Favorite Opening: “North Of,” Marie-Helene Bertino There are American flags on school windows, on cars, on porch swings. It is the year I bring Bob Dylan home for Thanksgiving. We park in front of my mom’s house—my mom, who has…