Diane Sherlock

  • Guest Post: Aaron Gansky, Stephen McLain & Heather Luby on Flash Fiction

    This week, I welcome back my sometime collaborator, Aaron Gansky (WRITE TO BE HEARD) who has a great post along with  Stephen McLain and their guest, Heather Luby discussing flash fiction, one of my favorite forms. In fact, I just wrote the screenplay adaptation for The Green Bench, which The Citron Review was kind enough to…

  • on the road

    Am on a refreshment break, so the regular post will be a few days late. In the meantime, here’s Aaron Gansky on creating atmosphere for a quick blast of craft and then agent Sarah LaPolla on the myth of the perfect agent for a longer blast of the business of writing, including what questions to…

  • Kurt Vonnegut’s Seventh Rule for Writing Fiction

    We’re almost there – here’s #7 of 8 rules for writing fiction by Mr. Vonnegut as delivered by guest blogger Aaron Gansky. by adgansky 7. Write to please just one person. If you open a window and make love to the world, so to speak, your story will get pneumonia. –Kurt Vonnegut Pneumonia, maybe, and…

  • Kurt Vonnegut’s Sixth Rule for Writing Fiction

    Well, this is embarrassing – I lost track of the days, but better late than never. #6! Thanks, Aaron. Now let’s all go make life difficult for our characters. Also, a hearty shoutout to friend and mentor Cheryl Strayed: Her memoir Wild hit #1 on the New York Times bestseller list!! Now here’s Aaron: by…

  • Kurt Vonnegut’s Fifth Rule for Writing Fiction

    Thanks to Aaron for another guest post while I’m on the road in Morocco. By adgansky 5. Start as close to the end as possible. –Kurt Vonnegut Last week, I had a student approach me to ask my opinion on something they were working on. The story opened inside a hospital with the birth of a child.…

  • Kurt Vonnegut’s Fourth Rule for Writing Fiction

    We’re halfway through Vonnegut’s 8 Rules of Writing. We will get to the last four in a couple of weeks – this blog will be on hiatus until after July 4th. Keep writing and please check out Aaron’s blog. By adgansky 4. Every sentence must do one of two things—reveal character or advance the action.…

  • Kurt Vonnegut’s Fourth Rule for Writing Fiction

    If you’re enjoying Aaron’s guest posts, check out his Workshop Wednesdays on his blog, Forging Fiction. You can submit or just observe. He will put submitted pages up anonymously, give a few pieces of constructive criticism, and encourage his followers to do so as well. What you get is unfiltered constructive feedback (closely monitored by…

  • Vonnegut’s Third Rule for Fiction

    Bad me. I’ve neglected to direct you to Aaron’s wonderful short story, An Affair To Forget. Only 99¢ in the Amazon Kindle Store! Now on to the 3rd Rule in his guest post this week: By adgansky 3. Every character should want something, even if it is only a glass of water. –Kurt Vonnegut It…

  • Vonnegut’s Second Rule of Writing Fiction

    Hello from New Orleans and thanks to Aaron Gansky for this week’s guest post. Enjoy and let the good times roll! (note: I added the image for fun) By adgansky 2. Give the reader at least one character he or she can root for. –Kurt Vonnegut I’m going to go ahead and say it. This…

  • take care: UPDATED

    Do you take care of yourself? It’s important no matter who you are or what you do, but it’s also important for the writing itself. Your writing will do better if you the writer get enough sleep, some exercise, some snuggles or hugs, and time to daydream and ‘refill the well’ as Julia Cameron put…

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