What Every Writer Needs to Hear
The opportunity to offer criticism comes with undeserved power. As a critic, we put ourselves above the artist, providing our authoritative opinion on the artists work. The thing is, that’s not what every writer needs to hear.
3 Essential Questions for Writers
Greetings, fellow writers. I’m tackling something deeply important today: three questions you must answer if you call yourself a writer.
Writing Prompt: Total Solar Eclipse
Will you be chasing it?
Today is the first time in nearly 40 years that a total solar eclipse will be visible from mainland United States.  In other words, the moon will briefly block the sun in the middle of the day and Americans may actually be able to see it (with special glasses).
Photo Writing Prompt: Find Your Story in a Painting
Have you heard of Girl With a Pearl Earring?
It’s a painting by a 17th Century Dutch painter named Johannes Vermeer. Author Tracy Chevalier first saw it when she was 19 and couldn’t stop thinking about it. Who was the girl in the painting? How did she get there?
Character Voice: How to Actually Listen to Your Protagonist
Anyone who has dipped their toes into the world of writing novels knows how crucial character development is to telling strong stories. Plot, setting, and dialogue are necessary building blocks of fiction, but your characters are the foundation that your story is resting on—without dynamic characters, no amount of plot twists, fantastical settings, or authentic dialogue will magically transform into a novel that people want to read.
If the success of your novel is in fact riding on the strength of your characters, you need to know who they are, inside and out. More importantly, you need a character with a strong voice, one that can reveal the emotional depths of your story to the reader.
