Do you ever find yourself saying that you feel stuck? Or blocked? Maybe you are. But maybe something else is going on. Take Bee, who said she’d scheduled two hours to write only to sit at her computer for two hours, staring, thinking, writing nothing. I suggested Bee commend herself for taking that time at
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Go Beyond 5 Senses in Your Fiction Writing
by C. S. Lakin Fiction and nonfiction writers alike need to immerse their readers into the story they are telling, and the best and most obvious way to do this is by utilizing sensory detail. While most of us have been taught that there are five senses, there are actually more than twenty specific senses
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FALLING APART/ COMING UNDONE Can Be Step #1 in Making Real Art
by Mary Rakow On Mother’s Day you go with your family to Picasso’s Weeping Women exhibit at Los Angeles County Museum of Art. You’re in your teacher’s private writing workshop and working on fragments for a story about a woman whose child is taken by the babysitter for a quick trip across the border but
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To produce an audiobook or not? Is there really a question?
By Sue Zizza Audiobooks have grown to be a very important part of the publishing industry. Major publishers typically include producing an audiobook for both fiction and non-fiction titles to be released at the same time as the print version. Sales from audio can help drive print sales and visa versa. And while some independent
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THE CITY IS OUR WRITING TEACHER: Our Compassionate Imagination
by Mary Rakow I drove to Macy’s, Fox Hills Mall every Sunday during my divorce to look at women’s suits. They made me feel soft, kind, fair. Sometimes if the sale was good, I’d buy. I wore those few suits to every meeting with my attorney for four years because I knew if I became
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Her muse laughed, then came tough love
By Lisa Tener Even the most prolific of writers can get stuck. Elizabeth Bohorquez has written and published over 400 CD programs, articles and books. And since childhood she derived both creative inspiration and strength from her muse. “My muse has been sitting by my side throughout my life—inspiring my writing and quiet contemplation in
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SFWC FAQ: I’m coming from far away. What else should I do while I’m in San Francisco?
By Lissa Provost Fisherman’s Wharf. The Ferry Building. Coit Tower. The Beat Museum. The waterfront. The Exploratorium. Pier 39. Cable Cars. Golden Gate Park. People watching everywhere. There is so much to do that you’ll have to be selective to prioritize what you want to see first. If you can, you should absolutely add a
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SFWC FAQ: How will the San Francisco Writers Conference be changed by Covid?
By Lissa Provost Nobody can avoid pandemic disruptions to their usual way of doing things. We have been disrupted in numerous ways. Vaccination proof or evidence of a negative Covid test (within 48 hours) will be required for everyone involved: attendees, speakers, volunteers, guests, everyone. While there is no government mandate for this requirement or
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THE CITY IS OUR WRITING: Our Work Needs Fast and Slow
By Mary Rakow As writers we learn to juggle opposites in our work: extravagance and minimalism, large and small, story and plot. And we have to juggle fast and slow. Our work needs both because, to be art, it has to bear witness to the complexity of human life. And to its beauty. Most of
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SFWC FAQ: What’s the point of a free 8-minute editorial consult?
By Lissa Provst Independent Editors, Author Coaches, and Public Relations Consultants offer their services at the San Francisco Writers Conference in free 8-minute consultations. But what’s the use? What can you accomplish in 8 minutes? To begin with, these consultants can offer their services at the conference for free because they expect to meet a
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