I'm a big fan of drawing ekphrastic inspiration from other art forms to inform my own creative writing, and in a stroke of luck (though maybe not for my husband), I recently rediscovered some of my teenage musical theater obsessions. As such, I thought I'd bring up one of my favorite elements to borrow from the world of music—the leitmotif.
Read MoreCopycatting: Two Exercises to Identify and Hone Your Narrative Voice
We come to writing from all points on the compass. Some of us have been obsessed with stories since before we could read; others love films and TV shows more than books; some couldn’t care less about writing until they find their own story to tell.
Regardless of how we get to the point of calling ourselves writers, one of the shared elements of our journey up that mountain will be finding our individual narrative voices.
Read More4 Ways to Be More Creatively Productive at Your Writing Desk
I want to begin by asserting that it is not absolutely necessary that every writing session be focused on cranking out new words. There’s something to be said for creative play. Some of the greatest melodies of the twentieth century came from talented musicians noodling around on their guitars for an afternoon! However, if you’re up against a deadline or you’ve had several writing sessions in a row that you could call a wash, here are four ways you might be able to bribe yourself into creative focus and productivity.
Read MoreAsk the Editor: "Help! I have too many book ideas!"
Do you have too many book ideas and too little focus? How will you ever complete one project if these shiny, new concepts get in the way?
In this blog post, explore the pros and cons of being a multi-concept writer and learn four ways to work around this “good problem to have.”
Read MoreHow to Use All Five Senses—Not Just Sight and Sound—to Bring Three-Dimensional, Immersive Description to Your Book
We as novelists and memoirists, due to the nature of our medium, can manipulate more of the five senses than screenwriters can. There are three other senses we can take advantage of that haven't necessarily worked well for cinema before: smell, taste, and touch. Read on to learn more.
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