Welcome to My Blog/Newsletter
Why subscribe?
To read about another writer’s journey through writing, revising, querying, and learning
To see photos of my dogs 😉
To read about specific craft issues from the point of view of a book coach/experienced writer who wants to help other writers improve their craft
Writing Craft: Save the Cat! Writes a Novel
I have a fondness for books on the craft of writing. I like reading about other writers’ tussles with different elements of story and what they’ve learned as a result. The ones I enjoy the most and the ones I think I’ll continue to learn from find a permanent home on my book shelves. Save the Cat! Writes a Novel (Ten Speed Press, 2018) by Jessica Brody is one of these.
What I Learned About Writing from Reading Louise Penny’s Mysteries
Another detective character that struck me as dry the first time I tried reading him was Louise Penny’s Armand Gamache, the chief homicide detective in Quebec. Several years ago a well-read friend recommended the series. I plucked a random one off the library shelf. Maybe I was in a bad mood, maybe I wasn’t ready for it. Whatever the reason, Gamache didn’t speak to me, so I returned him to the library after maybe 30 pages.
The Joy of Reading
Here are a few of the books I read in 2022 and especially enjoyed, including middle grade, young adult, and adult.
Rereading Novels First Encountered in Childhood
Rereading novels you loved as a kid can be fascinating and instructive from a writer’s perspective. You can analyze the author’s choices to see how compelling fiction was made AND ponder what attracted you to it back then.
Characters with Compelling Perspectives
Adult contemporary fiction is not a category I naturally gravitate toward, but this is an example of why reading in many genres and age groups, not just the ones you want to write in, can help you fill your creative well and learn more about the market.
MG Novel Recommendation: The Civil War of Amos Abernathy
The Civil War of Amos Abernathy (HarperCollins, 2022), a debut middle grade novel by Michael Leali, is one that I highly recommend.
The Benefits of Tracking What I Read, Part 2
If you’re keeping a list of books you’ve read, how is it useful to your writing? I’ve discovered a few ways it’s useful for me.
The Benefits of Tracking What I Read, Part 1
Do you keep track of what you read? If so, how? A spreadsheet? A plain old Word or Google doc?
And if you do track what you read, why?
Two Great Middle Grade Novels About Storytelling
Recently I happened to read two MG novels that use oral storytelling as an important theme and plot device.