Nov 11, 2019
It happened to you at least once in your lifetime. A fragment of a song insisted on following you around. You tried to hum and whistle, but it wouldn’t go away. A friend told you that you need to listen to the whole thing; your brain kept the song on repeat because it...
Nov 10, 2019
Many writers are self-proclaimed perfectionists. But let me ask you this: Has anyone ever written a perfect book? Does a perfect book exist? And by perfect, I don’t mean a favorite to many, but a book that’s objectively better than every other book; excellent or...
Nov 8, 2019
It’s always easy to see fault in other people. The uncle who keeps talking politics over the Christmas table, the grandparent who favors one of their grandchildren, the friend who worries obsessively about the smallest of things. Their flaws are so easy to spot. So...
Nov 8, 2019
Meet Bob. Bob’s a factory worker. He screams in rage. Did you feel what Bob feels? Did you feel the least bit angry? No. Because you don’t know Bob or why he’s angry. Let’s try again. Meet Bob. Bob’s a factory worker. He has just learned he’s been fired. He shakes his...
Nov 3, 2019
Here’s an observation about art that I find risky to share, something artists don’t want to hear about. As an editor, I would love to hang it over my desk, plaster it all over my website, and repeat it endlessly to every writer I work with. I can’t because it is...
Oct 24, 2019
When writers try to increase the emotional impact of their stories, they usually resort to dramatic wording. And so sweat no longer forms, it drenches; heart no longer beats, it races; and the pain, the pain is always unbearable. Unfortunately, such exaggerated...
