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Say Yes to Obsession
Molly PrentissObsession is a large part of being human, and therefore a large part of writing about being human. As writers, we are taught to write toward our...
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How to Steal Stuff
Elizabeth GaffneyMy first theft was almost an accident. It was a pair of clip-on rhinestone earrings, glittery and bright….I put them on…somehow, I...
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Writing to the Tension
Andrea ChapinIf you have an idea for a short story or a novel and want to get started, write a scene that feels urgent, important, and essential
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How Walter White Can Make You a Better Writer
Martha SouthgateI’m proud to admit that I was and am an obsessive fan of Breaking Bad. When Walt, Jesse and all their friends left us on that Sunday night three...
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Inventing Time
Laura van den BergTime frames our experience in the world, yet time is never stable: it is always moving. This morning, I walked my dog from Carroll Gardens to...
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Three-Dimensional Writing
Alison GaylinI love a good suspense story—the type of dark, twisting tale that keeps me on the edge of my seat, turning pages, barely able to wait for what happens next
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How to Get Out of the Slush Pile
Dawn RaffelHere’s a literary puzzle: Inboxes all over the world are filled to virtually bursting, yet editors and agents frequently lament (in private)...
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Playing With Status
Judy SternlightAs an independent developmental editor who specializes in fiction, I help writers to fine-tune their novels. Sometimes a central character needs...
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How to Start Your Novel
David GordonOf course there is no one way. When it comes to writing, my motto is “whatever gets me to the next page,” but page one is often the hardest
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Dialogue or Conversation?
Jason StarrI learned a lot about crime fiction writing in an odd place—the theater. While I was completing my MFA in playwriting at Brooklyn College, I...