This is my favorite part of writing. Your main character will make or break your story, and unfortunately they will not just appear from your head fully-formed, Athena-style. That is why this getting-to-know-you stage is arguably the most important part of writing. If you’re not sure what I mean by “getting to know” your main character,… Continue reading Getting to Know Your Main Character
Tag: craft
The Creating Process
Creating a story is like creating anything else. It takes time, some reflection, and a little bit of improvisation. Of course, like anything, your story might not exactly come out right the first time. The good thing is that it’s easier to rewrite a sentence than it is to fix a painting or remodel a… Continue reading The Creating Process
Eating vs. Reading: A Research Comparison
Just like fiction, feature writing is hard. I spent a lot of my time doing both this semester, and I learned quite a bit about what translates between genres and what doesn’t. If you’re looking to switch from one to the other, here are a few tips (and my thoughts) on the differences required when… Continue reading Eating vs. Reading: A Research Comparison
When Writing Becomes Work
With the end of the semester quickly approaching, I’ve been working more and more on my final projects, all of which are focused on writing. Now that I’m spending seven or eight hours a night doing nothing but writing, I’ve started to wonder at what point this writing stops being fun or even bearable and… Continue reading When Writing Becomes Work
Relearning the Craft
I begin each new semester with a bit of trepidation about what I’m going to be learning. Last semester the daunting project was a grant proposal. The semester before that I fretted over both nonfiction and fiction workshops, which I hadn’t had any experience with before. This semester the worry is threefold. Due to some… Continue reading Relearning the Craft