I’ve had a number of writers I’ve mentored or critiqued ask me some form of this question. Sometimes it’s a plaintive wail expressing the writer’s earnest hope that they can overcome their ”issues.” Sometimes it’s a defiant roar: “Craft? Bah! … Continue reading
Tag Archives: learning to write
Ink Dance: Essays on the Writing Life A cup of inspiration, a dash of understanding, a bouquet of wisdom for writers new and old. From the desk of writer and editor Deborah J. Ross comes a collection of warm, insightful … Continue reading
Dear Auntie Deborah: How can I find a real publisher for my YA novel, instead of one of the many vanity or scam presses? — Tearful Wannabee Dear Tearful: Do your research about publishers. Find out which accept unagented submissions. Check … Continue reading
Effie Seiberg: Depending on what kind of writing you’re doing, and where you are geographically, there are a number of ways to find kindred spirits. Conventions: Whether conventions or conferences, I found these to be an invaluable resource for meeting … Continue reading
Recently, I received this letter from Wendy, a fan with whom I’d been corresponding. It spoke deeply to me, and rather than answer it alone, I asked some of my writer friends to join in a series of round table … Continue reading
Q: What advice would you give an aspiring young writer? A: There are a gazillion tips on how to write, how not to write, do’s and don’ts galore. The best advice I can give to a young author is to … Continue reading
Some writers do all their work in isolation. They are the creative hermits of the literary world. When they get an idea for a story, they tell no one. This isn’t always the misplaced fear that the other person will … Continue reading
What is a Short Story? Marion Zimmer Bradley When I speak of a short story, I am referring to the commercial or category short story, not the New Yorker or “literary” short story. I am dealing with the techniques … Continue reading
When I first started writing, way back in fourth grade, I worked on one story at a time. It never occurred to me that it was possible to have multiple writing projects in different stages. As I got older, the … Continue reading
Elsewhere on the intarwebs, I read: “Authors Write Today; Pretenders Write Tomorrow.” The implication, of course, is that if you are a real writer, you write all the time. Write as in, you deliver your thousand or five hundred or … Continue reading