How and Why to Write With Power

In just about any other endeavor, that headline (swapping out the word “write” with the passion of your choice) makes sense.  But for writers it’s a loaded gun, and if misunderstood, not in a good way. Too many writers misunderstand what it means to write with power. Too many writers equate power with… eloquence.  With descriptive genius.  […]

“One Author’s Writing Path” — A Guest Post by Nann Dunne

Each writer treads upon a writing path unique to him or her. Hearing about others’ steps along that lonesome and sometimes treacherous path can bolster our confidence as we try to push past life’s detours and persist toward our writing goals. Here’s my story. I hope it encourages you. My fiction writing didn’t begin until […]

Giblets and “What’s Your Favorite Writing Website?” Gravy

Haven’t done this in a while… a little potpourri of stuff.  New entry available on the Peer Review page. Please gift Steve Theme (is that a great writer’s name, or what?) with feedback on his YA-slanted memoir (two chapters), Asphalt Sanctuary.  Read it HERE. If you’d like some feedback on your story, including some of your NaNoWriMo […]

The Rarely Spoken Variable

What have you written lately? Volume is important.  Pace counts. I’m not talking about volume and pacing within your stories.  I’m talking about your output.  The frequency with which you write The End on the final page of a manuscript. I spend a lot of time talking about craft.  But craft is like love… not worth […]

The Personal Story Arc: A Guest Post by Art Holcomb

(Editor’s note: this should be mandatory reading for anyone with a serious writing bug.  One word: brilliant.)    “I never know what I think about something until I read what I’ve written on it.”                                                                                          – William Faulkner  More about the quote later. I started my writing career as a 12 year old in San […]

“Writing away madly, he made this fatal little mistake.”

Read that headline again.  Can you spot the mistake?  Okay, it’s not a mistake, per se, but it’s something that newer writers do all the time, and professional writers don’t. At least, you don’t see it in published work very often, because editors cut it out like a malignant growth. It’s the two-part structure of […]

More on Criticism, Confusion and NaNoWriMo Nausea

Last week’s post about handling criticism struck a chord with many Storyfix readers.  It should — we all get it, and we all get to decide what to do about it. If you’d like more on this subject, this time from a fine artist’s point of view, here are three essays on the subject from […]

The Art of Receiving Criticism

You signed up to be a writer.  But the fine print it says: you will occasionally be eviscerated by someone who doesn’t like or appreciate your work.  It’s part of the deal. Feedback can be a real gift.  Or, it can squash you.  Part of moving forward in this game is recognizing what to let […]

NaNoWriMo eBook Now Available as as PDF

Is it polite to lead with a caveat?  Here’s mine: I just released my new ebook, “When Every Month is NaNoWriMo: Principles, Guidelines, Tips and New Thinking to Make Sure Your Novel Doesn’t Tank.”   The caveat is that the book is a sequenced, buffed-up version of the 31 posts presented here in October… plus the […]

Chipping Away at the Scariest Number Ever

Perspective is a beautiful thing.  Keeps us sane.  Smacks of reality therapy.  Lets us know we are not alone, yet we are the primary architects of our own destiny. You may have heard of a guy named Malcom Gladwell.  Looks a little like Richard Simmons, but with something important to say.  He’s actually a brilliant […]