Next Chapters is a biweekly feature spotlighting graduates of GrubStreet’s Novel Incubator program, which has been running since 2010. Novel Incubator Year: 7 Current Project: two novels—one set on the West Coast explores the futility yet necessity of creating art in…
I’m a fan of James S.A. Corey’s The Expanse books (and TV series). I’m also a fan of borrowing writing craft techniques whenever I see them in action. You don’t have to like or even know about this fantastic space…
My husband and I spent two days last month attending a songwriter festival, and you should not feel bad if you don’t know exactly what that is. We didn’t either, which made the ticket price that much more disconcerting. We…
This fall, PBS is running a program called “The Great American Read.” Earlier this year, they asked 7,000 readers to name their favorite works of fiction. The alphabetical list of 100 (not ranked) was then culled by a panel of…
I’m a writer who loves a constraint. It is much easier to write when given a limiting factor than to write “anything, anything at all!” This year, I need to write 50,000 words by the end of the month. Wait,…
In 2016, I finished the first draft of my novel. Here’s a few nuggets of wisdom, for those embarking on their first drafts.