writing
-
What makes good writing? Empathy, conflict, a well-crafted and well-told story certainly. But what makes a great writer? There’s an ingredient that isn’t often discussed, which is why this jumped out at me in the latest literary dustup involving VS Naipaul’s attention-getting (seeking?) comments that no woman in history could hold a candle to him…
-
Have you considered the consequences of fear? Are you developing as a writer, as an artist? Milton Glaser discusses personal development, professional success and the Picasso model, all in the framework of ‘fear of failure,’ part of Berghs’ Exhibition 11 (more talks on the same at the site) Milton Glaser – on the fear of failure. from Berghs’…
-
Pet peeve – being introduced as a novelist and promptly called a liar. I don’t know who thought this was cute to begin with (I’m lookin’ at you, Albert Camus), but I’m taking issue with it. Merriam-Webster defines a lie as 1. A false statement deliberately presented as being true; a falsehood. 2. Something meant to…
-
In the wake of the John Galliano incident, I spent way too much time procrastinating regarding my own writing by reading comments about JG and getting depressed. First, it shouldn’t, but it surprised me how many people were willing to overlook and make excuses for his ugly remarks or not understand how he could hold…
-
It’s freezing in Los Angeles and we have something called graupel (which fascinates me no end). Graupel is essentially a snowflake wrapped in ice. The nouvelle cuisine of weather. So L.A. Anyway, as you can see, I changed the theme again. The grey was too cold. This is like hot chocolate. Warming up for writing?…
-
The novel I just finished writing is a dark comedy about a group of siblings prematurely vying for their inheritance. I read a number of comic novels that dealt with crazy families, estates and wills, fights over money, etc. All of the authors taught me something useful and I found the process of annotating (nudge, nudge,…
-
What are some of the reasons for stopping? In his book (which I recommend) on writing, IMMEDIATE FICTION, Jerry Cleaver makes the case for conflict and continually raising the stakes: “Happy lives make lousy novels…. If the characters are having a good time, the reader is not.” What if, on the other hand, it’s about you…
-
Great post on how different writers write – routine or lack of it, setting deadlines, using page count vs. word count. I use word count, setting a rough goal (for the next novel, it will likely be in the 90,000 range) and then daily and weekly targets. It helps. What do Cormac McCarthy and Flannery…
-
A hand, a foot, a leg, a head, Stood for the whole to be imaginèd. (Shakespeare, The Rape of Lucrece, ll. 1427-8) What if you write a scene of sex, violence, or intense emotion and focus only on one of the character’s body parts? Oh stop, not the obvious ones either. And yeah, I’m being silly…
Diane Sherlock 
You must be logged in to post a comment.