Nothing kills a story faster than bad dialogue. So said Elmore Leonard, one of the masters of written dialogue and one of my biggest influences as a writer. These tips were mostly inspired by his genius, not my own. But they are guidelines that serve me well. DIALOGUE TIP #1 Dialogue should always do something […]
Ten Best Books for Teens: 2014
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Picking the ten best books for teens in 2014, or any year, is never an easy proposition. For one thing, it’s subjective. There are books that my bookish friends raved about this year, which failed to capture my imagination. There are titles—perhaps real winners—that simply never made it through my mail slot. But out of […]
Writing Villainously for Fun and Profit
Of all the characters I create, I enjoy writing my villains the most. I practically cackle with glee whenever I start dreaming up all of the awful things they will do to my other characters. Maybe that’s because in my real life I am so well-behaved that it feels ridiculously fun to be bad…even if […]
Writing. Without the Clutter.
Recently, I’ve become a fan of the writer Lydia Davis. OK, “fan” may not be a strong enough word. Disciple? Groupie? I haven’t stood at intersections waiting for red lights so I can thrust copies of her books through the open car windows of startled motorists, but don’t think I haven’t considered it. Though Ms. Davis […]
Writing Dialogue: Less is More
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When I began writing fiction, my learning curve was steep. And the steepest part of that curve? Dialogue. Every time I had a character speak, I felt like I was wearing someone else's shoes. Now, dialogue is one of my favorite elements of any story I write, but it took time and few lessons learned […]
Summer Reading: Dive In
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Summer reading. A cruel fact of high school life. You've just beaten your way through an academic year's worth of assigned texts. Whose idea of summer involves...more assigned texts? Perhaps there's something to be said for keeping your brain primed and ready for September. But summer should still be summer, right? If you're going to […]
