When you’re a writer, stories are life. You can’t create them without ingesting them. That’s why Stephen King famously said: If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that. That’s why this annual look back at my top books of 2017 is always one […]
December 30, 2016 by 48 Comments Writing LifeMy Top Books of 2016
The one thing that’s almost as fun as looking back on the writing I accomplished during the year is looking back on reading my top books of 2016. Ironically, the one year I decide to host a “Read 100 Books in a Year” challenge on Goodreads is also the first year in recent memory when I […]
December 28, 2015 by 81 Comments How to Become a WriterHow to Study Plot and Character in Your Favorite Stories: 5 Easy Steps
What if I told you the best way to learn how to create amazing plots and characters in your own stories was by purposeful osmosis? First, of course, I might have to explain that “purposeful osmosis” means reading lots and lots of books and watching lots and lots of movies–and consciously studying what it is about […]
December 10, 2014 by 67 Comments Writing LifeTop Books of 2014
Every year, I find myself reading with the maniac intensity of someone who believes it might be the last reading year. (I like to turn everything into an extreme sport.) After all, what self-respecting writer doesn’t study at the feet of the masters as much as she can? I had so much fun sharing my […]
September 17, 2014 by 28 Comments How to Become an AuthorThe Amazing (and Simple) 3-Step Plan for Learning How to Write
This week’s video answers a question I’ve been getting from multiple sources: about how yours truly went about learning to write. Video Transcript: Lately, I’ve received a lot of emails asking the question, “How did I learn to write?” So today, I’m going to do my best to answer that. But first I’d like to […]
August 13, 2014 by 3 Comments How to Become a WriterThe 10 Commandments of Reading Like a Writer
“Never trust anyone who has not brought a book with them.”—Lemony Snicket If that’s true of people in general, it’s doubly true of writers. As the ever-quotable Stephen King proclaimed, If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that. Most of us become writers […]
July 26, 2014 by 5 Comments How to Become an Author5 Reasons Authors Should Be Reading the Classics
Today, I’m guest posting over on The World’s Greatest Book, with the post “5 Reasons Authors Should Be Reading the Classics.” Here’s an excerpt: When someone mentions the phrase “classic book,” what do you think of? That mammoth copy of War & Peace you used as a doorstop all semester in your junior year? That pile of Cliff’s Notes you […]
December 13, 2013 by 21 Comments Writing LifeTop Books of 2013
Writers are, above all, readers. So in the tradition of all the fun Top 10 posts that fly around the Internet this time of the year, here are my top books of 2013. At any given time, I usually have a bookmark in different books: a novel, a general non-fiction book, a writing book. I’ve […]
September 15, 2013 by 91 Comments Writing Life15 Bad Habits That Hold Writers Back
Many aspiring writers unknowingly develop habits that stifle their progress rather than foster it. These tendencies often arise from misunderstandings about what it truly means to be a writer, from focusing too much on external success to avoiding the challenges of the craft. The journey of writing is far more nuanced and personal than simply […]
March 24, 2013 by 23 Comments Writing LifeWhy the Reader Is Your Co-Writer
No story is created by one person. Written by one person, yes. But if the only imagination involved is the writer’s, the story will never be anything more than black marks on the page. A book is just a doorstop until readers lift the cover, recognize and process the words, and then use those words to bring the story […]
