Gallup did a poll in 2005 asking readers how they selected the books they read. Here are the results. What this says to me as an author is that the most important thing I can do to help my career is write the best dang story I can, seeing that almost 60% of what readers select is
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I found this a fascinating talk. It’s Ira Glass who is the executive producer of the This American Life radio program from Chicago Public Radio. It’s a show that merges true stories (and some short fiction) of everyday people, surprise, humor, and meaning. There’s a structure to the types of stories that they produce. It’s not
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One of the most basic way of coming up with story ideas is to take a familiar story or thing, list out what’s commonly associated with it, then start changing some of those elements. For example, you list out all the normal things for vampires–the coffins, black, bats, sucking blood, etc.–then you begin to twist.
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At a recent writer’s conference I was on a panel and someone asked what the pros and cons of writing groups were. Writing groups can save AND kill your writing. So beware. Workshop Benefits Writing groups are great for: Encouragement Deadline motivation Having fun with other authors Getting a chance to think about and discuss craft Testing
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Many artists think you can’t. And not simply because they envy those who are selling hundreds of thousands of copies. The reason they think this is for the simple fact that the creative process is fueled by following the zing. It’s ruled by passion. You have to care about AND believe in what you’re writing. You have to
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