In the special part of my brain reserved for book related ephemera is a running list of my all-time favorite novels. I update the list quarterly in the event that I must spend the rest of my life on a remote island and will only be permitted ten books. So when this happens, I’ll be ready. I’ll shrug and say, “Sure, give me a minute. They’re on the middle shelf of my small bookshelf: Love Medicine, One Thousand Years of Solitude, Dalva…” I should add that this remote island will have a special reading deck with a mini bar, and one of those ridiculously expensive Eames reading chairs. The ones that cost five thousand dollars (ottoman included). I’ve been told the island has a great Wi-Fi connection, so I’ll be able to keep up with my editing responsibilities. In which case I’ll definitely want to amend my list to include some books on writing. Here are my top three: 1. Elmore Leonard’s 10 Rules of Writing, by Elmore Leonard. Leonard’s rules are as clear as they are simple and elegant. Essentially, he’s packed an entire writing course into ninety-six pages. There are pictures, too! Consider this one: never use a verb other than “said” to carry dialogue. The Iowa Writer’s Workshop has a three-hour long graduate lecture on “said,” while Leonard gets the job done in a sentence. Or this one: never use an adverb to modify the verb “said,” he admonished. That last part is Leonard, too, which, along…
Julia Cameron advocates “morning pages.” Three pages of longhand, stream of consciousness writing, done first thing in the morning. Every morning. The Artist’s Way. Natalie Goldberg recommends writing daily for at least twenty minutes. Free the writer within. Keep your hand moving, lose control, and don’t think. Writing Down the Bones. Stephen King prescribes the writing routine of butt-in-chair habitually. Set writing goals and write… [Read More]
Filed Under: binge-ang-purge writing, Bird by Bird, Stephen King: On Writing, The Artist's Way, Tracy Chevalier, Writing Down theBones
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Many aspiring authors think they can’t afford to hire an editor. If your plan is to publish, then the truth is you can’t afford NOT to hire one. Anyone can call themselves an “editor,” yet not all editors are the same. There is no test or certification process. Be choosy when you hire one. Instead of looking for the cheapest rate, look for editors with… [Read More]
Do we need quotation marks? Who needs punctuation? Times are a-changing. One of the signs punctuation marks are in flux is the air quotations people make with their fingers when using words ironically. In print, we’ve seen the rise of single quotation marks around sarcastic words or phrases, even though the standard rule for single quotation marks are for use inside double quotation marks to… [Read More]
Q&A with Mauro Marinelli Samantha Kolb Mauro Marinelli is an artist, photographer, author, contractor, and one-time novitiate based in New York. Kehrer Verlag publishes his second book of art photography, Under Old Stars: Wanderings in Italian Hill Towns in the fall, and an exhibition with prints from the book will open on September 22 at the American Italian Cultural Center in New Orleans. I had… [Read More]
Filed Under: art photography, dreamscape, Italian hill towns, Kehrer Verlag, Mauro Marinelli, Under Old Stars
Those who think writing a children’s picture book might be easier than writing one for adults may be surprised to learn it is not. Children’s books are treated differently in the publishing industry. The market is highly segmented by age, grade, and reading levels. The content of any children’s book needs to be age-appropriate. And to complicate things further, children don’t buy books. Adults do…. [Read More]