So you may think the jerk in your writing group serves no purpose, but he does. He is there to rub and rub and rub and rub on you….until you build a callous. Publishing is brutal, and the thicker our skin, the better the chances we survive and thrive
Tag: Kristen Lamb
Mar 25 2010
The Secret to Story Magic
Most of the time when I hear a new writer announce that his piece is “literary fiction,” that is a short-hand cue for me to expect no structure, lots of similes, metaphors, self-indulgent flashbacks and no overall conflict other than a main character’s really pretentious angst. Most of the time, it smacks of self-therapy thinly guised as a story
Mar 21 2010
Editing–Meet the Novel Killer
If you are writing a novel, you need to leave any kind of edit for once you have finished the entire first draft. Breathe. Get a paper bag. You will be okay. Just trust me.
Mar 12 2010
Welcome to Hell–Surviving Fiction
The author must first have a hook that makes the reader want more, and then create a protagonist who possesses a story-worthy problem that makes us desire to spend the next 80-100,000 words giving a crap…without tipping over in the TDTL category (Too Dumb to Live). On top of that, there is pace, tone, POV, characterization, etc.
Mar 03 2010
Writing a Novel–Plot or Character? Which Comes First? Part II
There are only so many plots, no matter what anyone says. As an editor for many years, I always have new writers who feel like they have written something entirely new. Um…no. Sorry. Nothing new