Whatever Happened to the Delete Key?
[Originally posted on Tuesday, May 17, 2005] I???m a big believer in doing justice to a story. If it needs 50 pages, then it should be 50 pages. If it needs 5,000 pages, then go to office supply store and load up on the paper. But having said that, am I the only one who…
continue readingTip: Imitation Teaches Originality
Nicholas Delbanco has a wonderful essay entitled From Echoes Emerge Original Voices in which he outlines an interesting idea for teaching creative writing. For his class at the University of Michigan, he actually encourages his students to imitate the greats. Delbanco argues, very persuasively, that “to engage in imitation is to begin to understand what…
continue readingTip: Focus on the Lesser Known Details
I think one of the best ways to establish authority, either as an author or for one of your characters, is to focus on the lesser known details. The things that only a scuba diver would know. Or that pizza joint that only a lifelong Brooklyn resident would know. Look for the things, or places,…
continue readingTip: Zen and the Patience of Writing
During an interview with John Dufresne, he mentioned something that although far from revolutionary, really hit home with me. Too often we, as young writers, get caught up in the obsession to publish, to succeed, to make it, to achieve our goals, to get validation for ourselves, to prove mom and dad wrong, to get…
continue readingHere’s Why I’ll Never Make the Corner Office
[Originally posted Tuesday, June 28, 2005] There has been a flurry of reports in the magazine and publishing worlds about a book proposal that, depending on who you talk to, is either a signed deal or never existed in the first place. At one time, Steve Florio was the chief executive at Conde Nast, the…
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