I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about how art can make a difference in the world—fiction in particular. I went to a very politically engaged college, and graduated in 2000—a year when it seemed like everyone I knew who was really committed to making a difference was either at the WTO protests in Seattle or taking up organic farming. I … Read More
Crystal Vision
Last month, I shared a big vision of mine: an online alternative MFA program specifically for people writing socially engaged fiction. Since then, I’ve had a number of clients write to me in a panic, wondering if I will still offer book coaching and editing services, and the answer is yes, absolutely! Workshops Against Empire is just another way I’ll … Read More
The One Thing Your Novel Absolutely Must Do
Start in the middle. Get all the important characters on the page in the first chapter. Reveal what the protagonist wants. Reveal the protagonist’s vulnerabilities. Establish what’s at stake. There are a whole lot of books on the craft of fiction out there, and it can feel like every one of them makes the case for one thing your book must do … Read More
Landing the Quantum Leap
Every year I teach a class aimed at helping writers polish the opening pages of their novel or short story, in order to give them the best possible chances of getting those stories published. And every year, as I read through those opening pages, I’m struck by the degree to which writers, even very good ones, often fail to account … Read More
