I’ve already done a list of the opening lines from all my favorite books, but now I’m going to do a list of some of my favorite opening lines. (There’s a difference, though some overlap.) I’m also going to avoid the classics, since those lists are already all over the internet already. Opening lines are so […]
Having an “anywhere but here” kind of week. Moving is stressful. Time is a rare commodity. So I’ll just leave you with this photo, taken by me in Acre, Israel, in December 2005.
There are a lot of things that go into writing a novel. Today I’m going to focus on an important one–point of view. One of the first decisions you need to make when starting a novel is: who is telling this story?
It’s nothing, sir, so long as there’s health and a clear conscience. This quote, from Anna Karenina, is the attitude we should all have about our “problems”.
Time for a look at another brilliant example of writer voice! This week I’m picking an unusual one…
And I’m not referring to the state in which I was born…
With this uber-popular John Green novel (that was redundant) set to become a movie, I thought I’d add my own book review to the undoubtedly dozens out there…
So I’m taking a writing class this summer at this fine institution. (It’s awesome. I highly recommend it.) The structure of the class is that each week, some students hand in writing submissions, and the next week you’re “workshopped”, meaning everyone tells you what they thought. When it was my turn, the teacher of the […]
Happy Friday! I love summer. It’s the season of getting invited to go beautiful places for free.
I’ve written about voice in YA contemporary (twice), I’ve written about voice in YA historical, and today I’m going to talk about the voice of a writer who’s not YA at all. Because while it’s absolutely crucial as a writer to read within our genres, there is a tremendous amount to be learned from other genres, […]
