Sacrifices

When we were in Jerusalem, we stayed with an Orthodox Jew named David (pronounced Dah-VEED, there). He was eccentric but kind. Two of us were assigned to make Shabbat dinner like the Orthodox do, following the Rabbinical Kosher laws. The foremost rule was that they...

Her Father’s Murder

PRACTICE Write about a young girl out to avenge her father's murder. (Yes, I watched  True Grit last night.) Write for fifteen minutes. When you're finished, post your practice in the comments. And if you practice, don't forget to give some feedback to other...

How to Use Layers to Enhance Your Plot

I'm happy to introduce our guest today, C.S. Lakin, who is the author of twelve novels (yes, TWELVE!), including the seven-book fantasy series, The Gates of Heaven. Ms. Lakin is a professional editor and loves to help writers improve at their craft. Make sure to swing...

Head Hopping and Hemingway, Part II

For Whom the Bell Tolls is about an American ex-patriot named Robert Jordan who fights in the Spanish Civil War in the 1930s. It's Hemingway's longest novel at 270,000 words. I purchased my copy two years ago in Manhattan during a three-week meandering that took me...

Head Hopping and Hemingway

A Write Practice reader and I recently got into a discussion about head hopping, which is when you switch from one character's thoughts to another in the middle of the action. It is generally known as an editor's pet-peeve, but my friend wasn't having it. “I do...