In the comments section of my post on How to Critique Other Writers’ Work, a debate ensues. When using the sandwich approach (two slices of positive feedback with a glob of criticism in the middle), do the positive and critical parts of your sandwich need to be equal? If a manuscript needs a lot of [...]
I read a great book recently, Snow Mountain Passage, about the quest and fate of the Donner party as they traveled from Illinois to California in the mid-1800s. Until then, my familiarity with the Donner party had been limited to driving through Donner Pass to rock climb on Donner Summit overlooking Donner Lake (near Truckee [...]
How to Critique Other Writers’ Work
Jul 21st, 2010
A post by my friend Sierra about her toxic critique group inspired me to remind people how to give critiques of other writers’ work in a writers’ group or workshop.
The sandwich method always works best: Start by saying something positive, followed by your constructive criticism, and then end with another positive comment. The reason for [...]
The Lonely Polygamist: Review
Jul 12th, 2010
I meant to write an “I’m going on vacation” post three weeks ago, but I got caught up packing and voila—three weeks have passed! I have lots of great posts coming in the next few weeks, but first of all here is my latest book review in the San Francisco Chronicle. Enjoy!
12 Ways to Overcome Writer’s Block
Jun 24th, 2010
Many people think they never get writer’s block. They see writer’s block as this weird disease that only people like Hemingway got once they had published ten books and had run out of things to say. But almost every writer I know has days when she sits down at her computer and doesn’t want to [...]
Link Love
Jun 11th, 2010
Links!
The Wall Street Journal has a great article about vanity press going digital.
Meg Waite Clayton has a great series of posts on how writers get started. Start with Part I and read all six!
After the New Yorker released its 20 Under 40 list (I’m honored to know three of them—Daniel Alarcón, Yiyun Li, and ZZ [...]
My Writing Journey
Jun 10th, 2010
Some of my earliest memories are of my mom and dad reading books—my dad political fiction and biographies and my mom historical fiction and romance novels. I think my mom spent every minute she wasn’t cooking a meal or cleaning the house lying in bed with a book. At the age of six I remember [...]
Your Writing Props
Jun 9th, 2010
Two posts, one in which Christi Corbett asks What Inspires You While You Write? and one in which Christine Lee Zilka asks What is your writing uniform? got me thinking about what rituals people perform before they settle down to write. One writing colleague of mine wears tape on his eyebrows when he’s writing. I’m [...]
What Do You Sacrifice To Write?
Jun 6th, 2010
Last month, Rachelle Gardner over at Rants & Ramblings wrote a great post on what we give up as writers, which got me thinking about the things I give up every week so I can work on my WIP:
1. Sleep
2. Watching movies
3. Going on dates with my husband
4. Reading more
5. Making more money
6. Spending more [...]
Memoir Monday: The Metaphor
Jun 4th, 2010
A hallmark of literary fiction and memoir that distinguishes them from genre fiction is figurative language. While genre fiction (mystery, sci-fi, chick lit, fantasy) focuses mostly on plot and narrative, literary fiction focuses more on character and style, and style is often achieved through the use of fancypants language like metaphors and similes. I am [...]
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