by Sue Weems |
You finally reach the last page of a book that kept you up all night and close it with the afterglow of satisfaction and a tinge of regret that it’s over. If you enjoyed the book enough to stay up reading it way past your bedtime, consider writing a review. It is one of the best gifts you can give an author.
But as you face the five shaded stars and empty box, a blank mind strikes. What do I say? I mean, is this a book really deserving of five stars? How did it compare to Dostoevsky or Dickens?
Maybe there’s an easier way to write a book review.
by Sue Weems |
The first time I wrote a novel, I didn’t think about genre until the first draft was done, and I began trying to untangle my mess in revision. After two painful years (mostly comprised of avoidance, procrastination, and general despair), I hired a developmental editor who began our first phone call by asking, “What kind of book is this?” and “Who is your ideal reader?”
“It’s for everyone,” I said. I could hear the rise and fall of my breathing in the silence.
“No, it isn’t,” she said in a kind, but firm voice. Within minutes, I realized I had skipped a clarifying question that would guide every step of the book process from the plot and characters to cover design and marketing.
by Joslyn Chase |
If you’ve made it your mission to write, it’s probably because you love reading. Your life has been touched and changed by books you’ve read and stories you’ve heard since you were a tot, and now you want to create that experience for others. The irony is that once you start writing, it’s often difficult to find time for reading, and that’s just wrong on so many levels.
by Alice Sudlow |
What’s the purpose of story? Do stories matter? And are there stories we can read that might just change the world?
Yes. Yes. And yes.
And today, I want to celebrate five stories by Black authors that matter a whole lot.
by Alice Sudlow |
You’re under coronavirus quarantine. What are you going to do with all this newfound time—and lack of outside entertainment? Why, read, of course!
There’s never been a better time to pick up a book. But what should you read under quarantine?
Here at The Write Practice, we’ve got you covered. Our team put our heads together and selected our best recommendations of great books to read while you’re under coronavirus quarantine.
by David Safford |
Writers are imitators. At its heart, our job is to watch the world, listen to it, feel it, and then reproduce it using the tools of language.
That is why we tend to “write what we know.” Human beings are built for input, and what we put into our minds likely comes out in our writing.
That is why it’s important to choose our reading carefully. Choose the right literature and you’ll be infinitely inspired to create wonderful work.
