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…
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…
Sometimes I feel the need to explain why so many of the readings I select for my classes are tinged with sadness. It’s what I’m drawn to as a reader, I say. I like stuff that is dark. As a…
Ada Limón is the author of five collections of poetry. The most well-known, Bright Dead Things (Milkweed Editions, 2015), was a finalist for the 2016 National Book Critics Circle Award among other prestigious nominations. Her newest collection, The Carrying, will be…
Elizabeth Bishop (1911-1979) was the consummate American poet of travel, writing and translating worldwide, and living for fifteen years in Brazil. Her “traveler takes a notebook, writes” about the mysteries of maps, the wonders of cultures and landscapes. In my…
It is often said that reading makes us better, kinder people. Many articles expound on how the act of reading benefits the mind and body by decreasing stress levels, teaching us about other people and cultures, and introducing us to…
Hinduism is an entire universe of gods, concepts, traditions, and philosophies. Just as you can practice any religion concurrently with being a Hindu, you don’t have to be a true believer to take advantage of Hinduism in your writing practice. Many of…
Charles Johnson’s exploration of the art of writing and storytelling has been extensive and ongoing. Starting out as an avid reader in his childhood and teen years (at one stage reading a book or three a week), Johnson gravitated to…
Interested in dipping your (electronic) pen into the screenwriting well? Not sure where to start, who to study, how to think about the form? In my class Screenwriting for Fiction Writers we’ll take up these matters and more, looking at…
A sanctuary away from home and the distractions of daily life with time to work on your craft: every writer’s dream. If a writer’s residency is in your plans this year, we’ve rounded up resources and words of advice from…
Jess Walter believes that when you’ve got a sense of humor about life there’s always a way forward. That philosophy clearly relates to his work as a writer. While he may jest at his own ways and means of tackling…
It’s December. We made it! I hope you completed your NaNoWriMo novel. It’s hard to beat the feeling of submitting that draft on the website. And if you didn’t complete NaNoWriMo, that’s okay. Make a schedule to finish your draft…
If you’re doing NaNoWriMo this month, you’re hopefully nearing the end of your draft. I hope adding value shifts to your scenes has made them more exciting and fun to write. You might feel like you’re running into the problem…
I hope your NaNoWriMo draft is going well. You’re probably past the halfway point. Nice job! If you’ve been following these blogs, you probably have a plan to finish the first draft of your novel this month and you’re writing…
Welcome to the second full week of November! I hope you’re feeling like you’re making great progress on your draft and that planning your daily writing and specific word counts is giving you direction. You’re also probably feeling a little bit stuck….
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