Writing
6 books that transformed Dennis Lehane's thoughts on writing
<b>The Wanderers by Richard Price</b> (Mariner, $16).<p>My urtext as a writer. The members of an early 1960s Bronx street gang try to navigate their way to …
AuthorsHow to Write a Process Essay
Essays are big messages or long answers that you develop and put into an organized, written pattern. There are many types of essays.<p>When you receive …
Book Review: HAVEN Is A Fever Dream Of Stephen King Tropes
<b>Haven</b> is Massachusetts author Tom Deady’s first book, and right out of the gate, it has won a Stoker Award for the “superior achievement in a first …
BooksGo Against the Devils
A Dash of Style: The Art and Mastery of Punctuation<p>by Noah Lukeman<p>Adventures in the Screen Trade<p>by William Goldman<p>APE: Author, Publisher, …
AuthorsWATCH: Kids Craft Comics To Explore Immigration Fears
When Mexican-American artist Nora Litz first talked with her students about immigration — she was shocked to hear how scared they were.<p>"I felt I had to do something," she says. She was already teaching a children's writing workshop — but she decided to offer a specific weekend class for kids with …
ImmigrationWhy Are Colleges So Hostile to Fantasy Writers?
For decades aspiring fantasy writers have been subjected to dismissive behavior from college professors who disparage genre literature, even though …
AuthorsReads for slight inebriation and water. Top 10 summer reads
Hey there friends. Another season is upon us. The season of sunburns, long car rides, and cocktails next to large or small bodies of water. What …
Books5 Steps to Annual Report Greatness
<b>1. Grab 'em by the pupils</b><p>Although Wordience specialises in business writing, even we recognise the <i>real</i> force behind great annual reports:<p>Great …
Annual ReportsAuthors
There will be a host of authors at the fair, this year, with books in all genres for all ages. Click on a name to learn more about the author and his …
AuthorsHistory of a Hometown Hero | Poets & Writers
What do Ancient Rome, Western Civilization, the History of China, Early Middle Ages, the Civil Rights Movement, U.S. Constitutional History, and …
Creative WritingIf You Want to Write a Book, Write Every Day or Quit Now
The key to getting your book written, says Pulitzer Prize-winner Stephen Hunter, isn’t talent or luck or inspiration. It’s the act of sitting down every day and writing.<p>In a few days or weeks, I’ll start a new novel. I don’t know yet and won’t for years if it’s good, bad, dreary, enchanting, or …
AuthorsBe a Story Weaver - NOT a Story Mechanic
Too many writers fall into the trap of making Structure their Story God. There's no denying that structure is important, but paying too much …
StorytellingDepicting Background Characters
Not every person that appears in a story is an actual character. These non-characters remain in the background: standing in line, cheering after a …
Top 5 Screenwriting Mistakes Writers Make
Screenwriting shouldn’t be that hard. You have a story, and you turn it into a script. You just have to follow a precise format that’s easy to …
Where Are All the Freelance Writing Opportunities? Here's What's Happening Behind the Scenes
As a community manager at Skyword, my role covers a lot of ground. Ultimately my two biggest responsibilities are to recruit freelance writers for …
FreelancingDigging up gems — and skeletons: the critic Juan Vidal on writing memoir
I was on the phone with my uncle, a doorman in Queens, when our conversation hit an awkward pause, the kind in which one person is left waiting on the other to reveal the punchline. I’d called him from my home in Atlanta, where I’d recently moved via Miami to finish a book.<p>"Well?" I asked, …
AuthorsThe Art of Reading Denis Johnson: The Enduring Appeal of Jesus’ Son | Poets & Writers
In 2005 I lived on the corner of Beacon Street and Massachusetts Avenue, right at the frenetic hub of Boston, two floors above the Crossroads Irish …
Creative WritingFlash Fiction Challenge: Fire-Owls, Magic Bands, Wizard Vans, Otter Gods
That begins a series of Choose Your Own Adventure-style tweets (<b>currently at this point</b>, posted yesterday). I’ve been doing it since before the new …
Flash FictionCreating a Killer First Line
The first line is the most examined line in your story. Many readers will use this small collection of words to judge your entire book. Make sure …
Freelance Hourly Rate Calculator
You can use this freelance hourly rate calculator in two different ways: both as a basic freelance rate calculator to find out the minimum fees you …
FreelancingStoryframes before wireframes: starting designs in the text editor
Browsing through a well-crafted interface is like reading a great story (or flipping through a great comic book). As designers, why are we not …
Poets & Writers Theater | Poets & Writers
“I think it’s really important for writers to understand themselves as artists.” At the 92nd Street Y, longtime friends Eileen Myles and Chris Kraus …
Creative WritingDenis Johnson, 2007 National Book Awards Fiction Winner, National Book Foundation
2007 National Book Award Fiction Winner Interview With Denis Johnson<p>Denis Johnson<p>Tree of Smoke<p>Farrar, Straus & Giroux<p>Photo © Cindy Johnson<p><b>Interview</b> …
AuthorsSmall Press Points: Twisted Road Publications | Poets & Writers
The whole truth requires complex, multilayered stories,” says Joan Leggitt, publisher of <b>Twisted Road Publications</b>, “and not just stories relating the …
Creative WritingWarning: Are You at Risk of a Story Collapse?
Show of hands: Has this ever happened to you?<p>You are jamming away at your latest story.<p>Words are flowing. Characters come to life.<p>The realm you’ve …
Writer's Block7 things you will never be able to do with an e-book reader
When I wrote about the advantages of an e-book reader, I was thinking about how true it was, but also about the fact that despite everything, I would …
Authors10 More Handy Writing Tips That I Use Regularly – Part 2
• Create a space in your home especially for writing. This way you have an oasis and you can also send a message that, when you are in this space, you …
Tips for Writing Great Dialogue
<b>1. Give your characters a voice</b><p>A test of good dialogue is: can you omit the character’s name heading and still know who’s speaking? If so, you have …
FilmmakingI'm saving $20,000 in 10 months — here's how
Last year, I submitted my last student loan payment: After seven months, I’d paid off nearly $14,000 of undergraduate debt <i>and</i> saved up a couple months’ worth of expenses in an emergency fund. So I focused on increasing my safety net and saving for my upcoming wedding and honeymoon.<p>Then six months …
Personal FinanceThe Business of Screenwriting (Part 1): They don’t think like you
Hollywood studio executives can have a different way of seeing the world.I am sitting in the office of a studio executive. At this point, <i>K-9</i> has been …
Screenwriting