Writing a manuscript? Get tips and insights to help your work take wing!
Writing a manuscript?
“Read your work out loud.” This is one of the best pieces of advice I’ve given as an editor and received as a writer. When we do, we hear where what we’ve written has lost our voice, POV, or story thread. Reading our work out loud is particularly helpful when writing dialogue. We want the…
A new writing practice has come into my life and saved me, in a way. Everyone I’ve described it to has been moved by the idea. So, I offer you a bit of my experience. If there’s someone you’re missing, convinced they are out of reach, you might find some special pages to write on,…
The other night, the house was mine. I sat in the comfort of our family room, watching my show, eating a dinner prepared by someone else (thank you, LuLu), sipping a chilled beverage. The late afternoon turned to twilight, and a female cardinal chirped in our backyard. Her steady calls carried in over the TV….
“Story” is about transformation. As a reader, viewer, or listener, we’re wired to look for meaningful change in characters. (Or no change, which creates its own set of consequences.) As a writer, we hope to assemble words to convey a character’s story and resonate with readers. This process stretches the writer, so at least two…
I needed a reset and a creative boost. I had to do something to get back in the flow. A poem by David Whyte invited me to: Start close in,don’t take the second stepor the third,start with the firstthingclose in,the stepyou don’t want to take. The first thing close in for me is my phone—and…
A moving conversation between Nick Cave and Stephen Colbert, spanning music, creativity, and grief. When asked about the power of music, and what it means to him, Nick replied, “music is a thing that makes things better. It’s one of the last legitimate opportunities we have for a transcendent experience really left to us.” The…
The Piano Man is having a moment and I’m here for it. Billy Joel recently released his first single in about 30 years. I’ve read several pieces about his return to popular music, some more gracious than others. The one that rankled me the most, as a lifelong Billy Joel fan, was the Washington Post’s…
In my contemplative works and opinion columns, I’ve reflected on snapshots of life as gateways to all that is good, true, and beautiful. I write, and support others to write, stories that illuminate the beauty of this world and our common bonds in this human experience.
I cross the pot-holed parking lot wearing my N95 mask on a sunny suburban afternoon. My destination: a popup vaccination clinic at a shopping mall. The online confirmation instructions: Enter through the cinema doors, next to the chain restaurant sign. A “By Appointment Only” banner rustles in the breeze. A few people exit beneath it,…
“So, how’s the writing going?” my friend asked over lunch. “I’m working on my novel,” I sighed. “More like getting back to it, I guess. I’m about 2/3rds there. I hit a rough patch but just need to get back to it.” My voice lacked the enthusiasm you might expect from someone whose work, as…