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Posts tagged ‘writing’

Apr 17

cs.lewis2
18 Comments

5 Writing Tips From C.S. Lewis

If you don’t like C.S. Lewis, what’s wrong with you? From what far away land of haters did you come?

But that’s neither here nor there. Even if you weren’t into the Narnia books and don’t care to read Lewis’s Christian nonfiction, you’ve got to admit the guy was an impressive writer, right? His creativity and imagination alone in writing the Narnia series is astounding.

I’m a big Lewis fan, so when I saw this letter he wrote in response to a young girl’s fan mail, my heart was warmed (Please excuse the awful passive voice in that sentence. My editor is underpaid.)

It’s such a friendly, warm letter which made me like Lewis even more as a person. The best part of the letter is the 5 writing tips he gives to the young girl in closing. These are outstanding, insightful tips.

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Mar 26

Kerouac
20 Comments

Are Writers Born or Made?

Writers Digest recently dug into their archives and found an article from January 1962, written by Jack Kerouac, about whether or not writers are born or made.

Though I haven’t read On The Road in 12 years, I still consider it one of my favorite books. And, since I’m at a totally different place in life from when I first read it, I’m curious as to what I will think about the Kerouac classic when I re-read it for the Time list. Probably soon.

Anyway, Kerouac certainly had his own style, one that you probably either love or hate. So it’s no surprise that he had a strong opinion on writing. He was obviously a fan of Joyce:

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Mar 23

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25 Comments

Want To Write A Classic Novel? Here’s How.

Later this year, I’ll cross the halfway point of this somewhat epic journey. So far, I’ve loved the experience. More than just the reading and the writing, getting to discuss great books with you guys has been awesome.

Along the way, I’ve discovered some reoccurring themes in these novels. This isn’t groundbreaking stuff, you might have heard it before, but I thought I’d try and put my spin on what you need to include in the great novel you want to write some day.

So all you budding novelists out there, take heed. Make sure you include the following in your manuscript. Almost all the classics have at least a few of these:

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Mar 7

john-steinbeck-640x250
16 Comments

John Steinbeck’s 6 Writing Tips

We’ve talked about the writing rules of famous authors on this blog before. Most of you know about Jonathan Franzen’s 10 rules, but we’ve also looked at the writing guidelines of George Orwell and Margaret Atwood.

Today, let’s take a look at John Steinbeck’s 6 writing rules, published recently by The Paris Review:

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Feb 10

moon people
21 Comments

Why Self-Publishing Gets A Bad Name

I’m going to be honest with you: Until recently, I thought self-publishing was a last resort for authors who wouldn’t get published otherwise.

I was wrong. In the last year or so, I’ve noticed an increase in self-publishing. And I’ve learned that some authors aren’t self publishing because a big publishing house shot them down—though that might still happen anyway because big houses like to publish crap—but because, with a self-published book, the author retains a lot of control and a lot of the possible revenue, among other valid reasons.

Yet, there are still a lot of self-publishing duds out there. These aren’t just books that didn’t sell well. These are books that are awfully written, unedited, and full of more plot holes than a Dukes of Hazzard episode.

For example, take The Moon People by Dale Courtney, a novel that led Huffington Post to ask the question: Is this the worst novel of all time?

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Nov 21

Kazuo_Ishiguro_by_Kubik
17 Comments

Kazuo Ishiguro On Clichés

Clichés are a writer’s sworn enemy.

They take up unneeded space, offer no originality and very little insight. But they’ve become clichés because everyone uses them, which makes it difficult for a writer to get out of that habit.

When it comes to clichés, I’m guilty as sin (Did you see what just happened there? The irony!) But I would expect more experienced, award-winning novelists to avoid clichés like the plague (Oh no. It happened again.)

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Oct 31

640px-David_Foster_Wallace
16 Comments

David Foster Wallace: An Editor’s Nightmare

It’s been awhile since we talked David Foster Wallace on the blog, and I kind of miss it.

So, even though I’ve long since finished with Infinite Jest, I thought I’d revisit Mr. DFW today and take a look at an entertaining letter he wrote to an editor at Harper’s Magazine. His letter is in reference to an essay he wrote for Harper’s about Franz Kafka.

Remember the grammar quiz that DFW gave to his college students? He’s a grammar nazi if I’ve ever seen one, but DFW also proves that you have to know the rules to break the rules. And you also need to be able to explain your reasoning to your more-than-likely Grammar Nazi editor.

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Oct 17

dragons den
12 Comments

Got a Book Idea? Don’t Pitch It This Way.

I’m quite certain this is a hoax, but it’s funny anyway.

The Dragons Den is a Canadian reality show in which people go in front of a panel of judges, show their business idea/invention, and then ask for financial support.

What happens when a self-described “unknown, mid-list,” crazy, instable author, with a weird, creepy assistant, comes on and ask for $250,000 to write her third book? A lot of awkwardness, that’s what.

And you’ve got to love her answer to the question, “What are your margins?”

We writers tend to overvalue our work sometimes (here’s another example), and this is a hilarious illustration, even if it is a joke.

Note: Because of some language, you might not want to watch this with kids–but why are you reading my blog with kids anyway?

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Sep 6

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9 Comments

A Grammar Nazi Intervention

Does it annoy you that one of the Rolling Stones most famous songs, “Who do you love?” is grammatically incorrect? Do you correct your friends on their usage of “which” and “that”? Read more

Aug 11

12 Comments

Margaret Atwood’s 10 Rules of Writing

Source: Vanwaffle/Wikimedia Commons

The most popular post in the nearly one-year history of this blog is, by far, Jonathan Franzen’s 10 Rules of Writing.

Since I’m currently reading through The Blind Assassin, perhaps Margaret Atwood’s most popular novel, I thought we’d take a look at her 10 rules of writing today. Atwood’s rules are a little more tongue-in-cheek than Franzen’s.

This list also comes from The Guardian:

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