Posts Tagged ‘the craft of writing’
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…
Read MoreTHE CITY IS OUR WRITING TEACHER: Playing with Scale Enriches Our Work
By Mary Rakow I was walking down Post Street in San Francisco when I caught sight of this tiny scene, in the front window of the beautiful Leica Camera Store. I wasn’t sure how or why, but knew it had something super important to teach me about writing. So I took the shot. The contrast…
Read MoreIdea or Concept–What’s What?
By Nick Thacker I remember starting my first novel with an idea: “What if there was an ancient secret involving the ‘Golden Ratio,’ a number known to exist in many natural phenomena…” The idea was a germ; a small component of something larger — something that could eventually become an entire book. My story My…
Read MoreTHE CITY IS OUR WRITING TEACHER: A Chair Can Teach Us Courage
By Mary Rakow The 3 tenets of the 2022 San Francisco Writers Conference are Learn. Connect. Publish. I focus on the Learn tenet. Last year we looked at the visual arts. This year, the city. The City as Teacher will be 11 monthly posts: How can street musicians help us improve our dialogue? What can…
Read MoreWriting Characters that are smarter than you
By Kevin Tumlinson Since I started publishing novels in 2008, I’ve become known for writing “character-driven fiction.” I write characters who essentially reach out from the page, grab me by the beard, and tell me where to go. It’s a curse and a blessing. One dominant trait for nearly all my protagonists is that they…
Read MoreWill you take the leap in 2022?
By Amanda J. Clay Is 2022 the time to level up? I’ve talked all year about the business side of publishing and I’ve thrown a LOT of information at you. Like any industry, building a successful publishing business is tough. It takes time, money, and market research and lots of dedication. You’ll have to wear…
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