by Sheree Crawford A good novel has three main elements; characters, a plot, and an over-arching threat. Much as structure is distinct from plot so too is threat distinct from conflict, but you need it all to create a really good novel. Well, you need all four to create a publishable novel. If […]
via Threat: What It Is and Why Your Story Needs It — A Writer’s Path
by Josh Langston Most of us have had moments in our lives when something bad happened. The scale of “bad” is incredibly broad. It stretches from forgettable to life-changing and covers a staggering array of situations, actions, reactions, and consequences. For memoir writers, there’s a strong temptation to downplay if not ignore such episodes. […]
via Edit Your Writing–Don’t Edit Your Life — A Writer’s Path
by Kate M. Colby Whether you’re a beginning writer or a seasoned veteran, writing can be scary. Fiction authors put out original imaginings that often hold deeper truths (or are falsely judged to reveal something about the writer). Nonfiction authors declare themselves an authority on a topic, who readers depend upon for knowledge […]
by Christopher Slater Nothing is more devastating than running into a complete roadblock when you are trying to think of good ideas for a story or book. Humans are storytellers. We love to spin a yarn about all kinds of things. Sometimes we want to be scared, other times amazed, and still others […]
by Morgan S. Hazelwood Sometimes, when you’re stuck at some writing stage for too long, it can be hard to remember why you started this thing in the first place. Whether you’re drafting, editing, revising, querying, submitting, or marketing, there’s likely some point where you feel like you’re never going to reach the […]
by Cecilia Lewis Setting and worldbuilding are critical aspects of your novel. Having a vivid setting can pull readers into your story and bring it to life, and unique worldbuilding is often what sets a book apart. In editing both my clients’ books and my own, I find that establishing the setting is […]
by S.E. Jones Sometimes, you’ve just got to take a break. When you’re so sick of your words that you can’t look at them anymore, when you start to roll your eyes at every possible idea you have, when all of your characters seem to do not much more than walk in circles…
by Allison Maruska Don’t worry, this post is still approved for general audiences. Though if you’re looking for the more adult definition, this is the interwebs. Just don’t be gone too long, because that might not help your career advancement. Anyway.
I do not envy woodlice
the big number of legs
though at one time
I could try on
twelve pairs of stilettoes
wellington boots
sandals
flip-flops
and fur-topped boots
when winter comes
I wouldn’t like to be
tuatara either
to see more
though it seems more righteous
than the first paragraph
I do not fall asleep
with a half of my brain only
like a dolphin
I sometimes play cards
I am active
and when I am not
I am surprised
that through some inattention
I have stopped flying
I care about sunflowers
eating up seeds
and I care about ash-tree
though I seldom see it
when you sit beside me
you are the only one I envy
I was always a fan of classic stories.
but when a man cries depression,
The boy who cried wolf doesn’t seem so interesting anymore.
When tears tumbleweed down the cheek of your father,
the thought of ravenous barking things doesn’t arouse the senses much;
for you know your father’s lockjaw can be tagged-in at any moment now.
We will risk him reciting an obituary for his own voice.
We will risk losing the sound that echoes “survival” after the
tear ducts are patched up again.
We will lose it and never realize it was there in the first place.
When your father cries depression,
does he even speak the word?
And when he doesn’t,
will you know he’s speaking volumes
when silent on the couch from sun up
to sun down or will you scowl at the lethargy?
Is it not easy to hear the screaming
from the cold pillow case cotton?
Is it not a machine gun barrel clicking at your earlobe
each time Dad’s doctor’s appointment is missed,
or dinner gets cold?
When you say you are a patient daughter,
will you decipher the ancient texts of father’s past and find
yourself having part in the crumble?
Will you, too, lose your tongue in the moment?
Will it be ripped from your throat and fed
to the same wolves you didn’t think existed in the first place?
This isn’t some folktale we must disentangle
before we lose its meaning. There are some good days.
There are some bad. There are many we will never know until
he lives them. But one thing we do know,
is that he is still trying to judge the book by its cover and contents.
And I’m damn happy he chose to read them out loud.
– @StevenValentinePoetry
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