Whether the Weather
I usually try to do what Elmore Leonard says. If plied with wine or office supplies, I might even admit to having a fantasy about him being my life coach, going to the gym with me, telling me how to…
Category: Novels
When Less Really Is More: What Comics Can Teach Novelists
Consider the Comic where what’s not on the page is as important as what is. So says comic artist and writer Scott McCloud in his deceptively simple book, Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art.
An Interview with Lori Ostlund, Author of After the Parade
Lori Ostlund’s debut novel After the Parade follows the progress of ESL instructor Aaron Englund as he builds a new life for himself in San Francisco and reflects on a small-town upbringing in Minnesota. Ostlund’s first collection of stories, The…
Unpenned: Turning the Novel Loose
“There comes a time when you have to let the novel go.” “It will never be perfect.” “You can’t fiddle with it forever.” Yadda, yadda. So goes the writing advice about when to finally set a novel free in the…
YA Wednesday: YA Comes of Age, Threesomes are Trending, and a Quiz
Hurray it’s Wednesday! You got through Monday and Tuesday. But if, like Wednesday Addams, you’re full of woe, because Friday still seems sooooooooo far away, no worries. To make the week go faster, Dead Darlings is introducing YA Wednesday. We’ll…
The Writing Zone: Finding Your Tug Toy
As happens often, I found another parallel between training a dog and writing a novel. This time it had to do with arousal states in dogs and writing zones for writers. Essentially, there is an optimum state for a dog…