The Power of a Well Placed Inciting Incident

Susan DeFCreative Writing, fiction, Recommended ReadingLeave a Comment

Aspiring novelists are often bombarded with advice on how to create an effective opening for their novels. One common suggestion is to get the inciting incident on the page as quickly as possible. However, as a seasoned editor and book coach, I’m here to caution against this approach. Rushing into the inciting incident can lead to openings that are hard … Read More

Dreaming of Ursula

Susan DeFUncategorizedLeave a Comment

I’ve extended the submission deadline for my new anthology project in tribute to the sci fi visionary Ursula K. Le Guin until May 2, so I figured I should use these extra few weeks to read those books of hers that have thus far escaped my reading hours. This week, that’s The Lathe of Heaven. This novel is different from … Read More