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
Tag: editing
Fixer Uppers and Deleted Scenes
In life, as in writing, it’s hard to get rid of things. And while this seems like enough of a challenge on its own, things get even more difficult because it starts not to matter whether or not it’s something you like – sometimes you just need to cut things out. I’m finding this more and more true as… Continue reading Fixer Uppers and Deleted Scenes
The Art of Helping Others
I had a sort of epiphany this semester. In my creative writing class, we spent a lot of time workshopping our short stories. I made a comment about one girl’s work, and she told me after class that I always had the best responses and that I really helped her see the direction of her story.… Continue reading The Art of Helping Others
The Joys of Rewriting
Writing is hard. If you’ve ever tried to write anything at all, you know this. However, acknowledging that rewriting is an essential part of creating a final product makes every step along the way easier. Personally, I find comfort in knowing that what I write is not final. It means that when writing, you no longer… Continue reading The Joys of Rewriting
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
The Problem of Overcompensation
I promise this is about writing, but first I’m going to tell you a story. I was driving home yesterday, so I went to McDonald’s to get a Sprite and french fries. There was no ketchup in the bag, so I asked for some. I specifically remember saying “Can I get some ketchup? Just one… Continue reading The Problem of Overcompensation
Finishing Your Novel
I’m nearing the end of my current project, and I can feel myself slowing down; as the end draws nearer, my daily word count decreases, and I spend more time reading, researching, and plotting. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, considering the fact that I was unsure of exactly how the story would end until about three… Continue reading Finishing Your Novel
Tips on Editing
I’m not an expert on editing, despite what I like to think. However, I have done quite a bit of editing in the past few months, so I hope that I have something worthwhile to share with you guys. First things first: start out small. I’m going to tell you a story that has nothing… Continue reading Tips on Editing