Whether you’re just dipping a toe into the waters of your story (fiction or memoir) or you’re stuck rowing around in circles, there are seven basic steps for integrating character development, plot, and structure that will enable you to navigate…
Or: You Never Know When Research Will Prove Useful 1. Not all Navel-Gazing Is Bad A few weeks ago, I published a review of the electronic duo Matmos’s new album, Plastic Anniversary. At the risk of repeating myself, Plastic Anniversary—which…
“To write one’s life is to live it twice.” So says my first memoir teacher, Patricia Hampl. Certainly, writing about your life has all kinds of benefits, from better understanding the past to capturing the essence of your memories in…
We live in an age where writing is genre-fluid. Some of us have learned, some of us have adapted, and some of us have always been there. Wherever you are in the spectrum right now, it is a wonderful time…
What is a lexicon? A wordbook. The vocabulary proper to some department of knowledge or sphere of activity. The vocabulary or word-stock of a region, particular speaker, etc. A list of words or names. Why have a lexicon? “The writers…
Writing character—whether a fabricated one in fiction, a remembered one in memoir, or an imagined historical figure in a poem—can be daunting. Often, we focus too much on how the character looks. We write them as if we were…
A powerful story ending is both inevitable and surprising. Most fiction writers are familiar with this bit of wisdom. But how to pull it off—that sense of an ending that the reader never quite saw coming, even as it seems…
Robert Frost said that “poetry is what gets lost in translation,” meaning that whatever poetry is can’t be carried from one language to another. But that’s obviously false, since we have so many examples of great translations. The process of…
When we experience illness or trauma we hold it in our bodies. Sometimes events happened pre-consciousness, when were very young. Sometimes they happen as we age. No matter how young or old, our bodies are our repositories and these events…
The optimism of a new year is almost too sweet to ignore. The next few hundred days are full of possibilities, ranging from the positive and uplifting to the more sinister and grotesque. It is perhaps a fair assumption to…
If you’re reading this, chances are you’re at your computer or on your cell phone and you’re scrolling through what might be of interest as you wait for a bus to arrive or a delivery person to bring you some…
It’s hard to believe 2018 is almost over. Whether you’re hoping to get one last great read in before the start of the new year or plan for 2019, these recommendations from Hugo House teachers are sure to inspire and…
Chavisa Woods writes like everything is on fire because it is. This year, she was awarded the Shirley Jackson Award, the Kathy Acker Award, and received her third nomination from LAMBDA for her story collection Things to Do When You’re…
This fall, we’re introducing a new advanced program for writers: a place of experimentation and accountability that we’re calling the Book Lab. Designed to help writers reach the final draft of their book, Book Lab is for anyone with a…
As the saying goes: “Everyone’s a critic.” But bringing out your inner reviewer is a complex process. Writing a review is much more than just “criticizing.” In my upcoming class, Critical Thinking: Writing a Review, you’ll have the opportunity to…