Category: On Writing
The ‘Difficult’ Second Novel
Writing a first novel is easy. Of course that is a big fat lie, but in comparison to writing a second novel, it really is. First time round, you can take as long as you like, you can write whatever genre you like or no genre at all. You may choose your own writing style […]
Q&A with Allison Winn Scotch
Allison Winn Scotch is the bestselling author of six women’s fiction novels including: Time of My Life (2008), The Department of Lost and Found (2009), The One That I Want (2010, The Song Remains the Same (2012), The Theory of Opposites (2013) which was optioned for the screen by Jennifer Garner’s Vandalia Films (Hurry, Jen!!!) […]
The Fifth Avenue Artists Society
I’m really into genealogy. I think I come by it honestly. My family as a whole is very interested in our history, and once you find one colorful story it’s hard to stop. Granted, I’ve hardly had to search for much—my grandma’s family sort of passes down anecdotes and then routinely talks about them, so, […]
Q&A with Emily Giffin
Emily Giffin needs no introduction for us. We are clamoring for and squealing over her newest title FIRST COMES LOVE. She published seven books before that, all of them New York Times bestsellers. Who bought these books? We did. We know Emily Giffin. We love Emily Giffin. So I’ll make this quick. (Even told quickly, […]
Second Person: Why I Used You In My Novel
Second person address, “I-to-you,” is a fascinating and effective literary device, the most intimate point-of-view there is, but writers avoid it like a death knell. Most editors reject it. Not only that, it isn’t easy to pull off, especially in novel length stories. So why use it? Why have the narrator tell her story to […]
From Poem to Love Story
Whenever I think of the protagonist in my historical novel, Ella Durant, I imagine her brother in a fit of rage in 1903, burning all of her letters, family photos, and any memorabilia having her imprint. It had to be, because there is scant primary material about Ella Durant except for a handful of correspondence […]
Pseudonyms: To Use Or Not To Use
I suppose I should start off by admitting that Elysee Orchidkiller is not my real name. I can hear you groan with disappointment and I completely agree with you. It is such a shame that my parents didn’t think up such fetching names! Why did I choose to publish under a pseudonym? I imagine my […]
Isn’t it Romantic? The Enduring Popularity of Literature’s Most Successful Genre
I didn’t set out to write romance. Not intentionally, anyway. I started writing because I was in love with words, not because I was in love with love. Growing up as an only child, books were my closest friends. I was a voracious reader, and my taste ran the gamut. Nancy Drew, Trixie Belden, Laura […]
Taking Risks with Co-Writing Diversity
My two most ‘risky’ cultural projects have been co-writing ‘f2m: the boy within’, the first Young Adult novel about transitioning gender co-written by an ftm, and ‘Hijabi Girl’ a fun, junior chapter book which had 41 rejections from traditional publishers before I self -published. I’m not trans and I’m not Muslim. But I do take […]
From Sculpture To Writing
Being born into a family of special effects wizards in Hollywood, I knew early on that I would follow in their footsteps as a creative person. I lived and breathed visual art. After art school, I got a studio on Los Angeles Skid Row where I also taught art to homeless men and women and […]
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