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Online Writing Classes

One of the best ways to work on your craft is to participate in a writing class. Depending on where you live, though, it may be hard to find a good in-person workshop or class. Luckily, there are many good…

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New Books Out This Week!

Here’s a quick look at some of the great books out the week of October 9. Happy pub day to all!   Marian Crotty, What Counts as Love University of Iowa Press From Publishers Weekly: “Crotty’s impressive debut collection is…

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Secrets in Fiction

The word “secret” comes from the Latin verb secernere; se: to set apart and cernere: to sift. The etymology of the word seems particularly appropriate for fiction: as both readers and writers, we are always sifting through a story in…

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Early October Books

Here’s a quick look at some of the great books out the week of October 2, 2017. Happy pub day to all! T.C. Boyle, The Relive Box Harper Collins From Publishers Weekly: “Settings for the 12 stories range from the…

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Reflecting the Interior

Some of the great writers use little interiority. They focus, instead, on showing us how the character views the world. Through these moments—when we are looking through the character’s eyes at a room, a character, a landscape—we learn almost more…

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Conflict in Dialogue

The word “conflict” is from the Latin verb confligere: con, together; and fligere, to strike. Many writers seem to be at home with the idea of togetherness: we usually create multiple characters in our fiction; we write stories with more…

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THE MAKING OF A STORY, Alice LaPlante

The Making of a Story, Alice LaPlante W.W. Norton, 2007 At a whopping 642 pages, LaPlante’s craft book is extremely comprehensive. Each of the fourteen chapters includes well-developed essays on elements of craft, exercises, and readings. The chapters cover plot,…

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