Now that TINY is out in the world, I’m looking ahead to what’s next. It’s been a long time since I’ve been in novel-writing mode. All 3 of my published books were written before 2017. I had my daughter in October 2017 and, since then, I’ve been adjusting to motherhood, working full-time (at an ad — Read More
Category: Writing Technique
Spotlight on: Donna Tartt
I fell in love with Donna Tartt’s writing when I read The Goldfinch. For some reason, it took me a year or so to get to The Secret History, her first book. The book she wrote between the two, The Little Friend, is next on my list. She writes the kind of books I dream of — Read More
Spotlight on: M.L. Stedman
If you haven’t read The Light Between Oceans yet, I highly recommend adding it to your Amazon cart. It came out in 2012, so I’m a bit late to this particular party. Shameful confession: I’m never that excited to read historical fiction. I tend to think the characters are going to talk in their old-timey way — Read More
Spotlight on: Maile Meloy
If you don’t know Maile Meloy yet, you’re missing out. For whatever reason, I didn’t discover her writing until last year. I’ve now read 3 of her works: Liars and Saints (novel), Half in Love (short story collection), and Both Ways is the Only Way I Want It (short story collection). There is something so — Read More
Spotlight on: Maggie O’Farrell
Maggie O’Farrell is the kind of writer I aspire to be. Her prose is poetic, but accessible. Her characters are complex (and the relationships between them are simply beautiful). Her stories read quickly, with an air of suspense. They are dramas, with hints of humor. I read my first Maggie O’Farrell book last year–The Hand — Read More
Spotlight on: Jeffrey Eugenides
Jeffrey Eugenides is one of those writers who leaves my jaw on the floor every time. I consider him so far out of my league that envy isn’t even in the cards; just admiration and awe. Eugenides is a literary writer who is also popular–in other words, a rarity. He wrote The Virgin Suicides in 1993 (which — Read More
Spotlight on: Tom Perrotta
I haven’t met a Tom Perrotta book I didn’t like, and I’ve read a lot of them–Bad Haircut (short stories), The Wishbones, Joe College, Little Children, The Abstinence Teacher, The Leftovers. I still need to read Election. Perrotta is not-so-arguably one of the best contemporary authors today. Two of his books (Little Children and Election) — Read More
Spotlight on: Liane Moriarty
I’ve decided to do a little “Spotlight On” post about authors I really love and admire. I’ll scour the Internet for interviews they’ve done and essays they’ve written to gather up some interesting tidbits about their lives and writing process. Sound fun? I think so. First up: Liane Moriarty. I fell in love with Moriarty — Read More
Workshopping
Writers use “workshop” as a verb. As in, “Your book is coming along. You should workshop it.” I haven’t done a workshop in many years. But for a while there, workshopping was a huge part of my writing life. It basically defined my grad school program–and most grad school programs (which is important to note — Read More
David Mitchell on how to write: “Neglect everything else”
I like David Mitchell. He’s one of the greatest novelists alive right now. He’s best known for Cloud Atlas, but I really loved Number9Dream. So, when I saw he had a little chat with The Atlantic , I had to read it. You can read the whole thing here. Here’s some of what he had — Read More