Book List: "Harriet Beecher & The Beecher Preachers"

This book by Jean Fritz captures the character of Harriet Beecher Stowe in a way that Harriet herself would be proud of. She tells the story as if she and Harriet had lived together their entire lives, as if Fritz was writing Uncle Tom's Cabin right there with Stowe.

I am only halfway through Harriet's book Uncle Tom's Cabin, but Fritz's description of the author gives me a new perspective on Stowe's literary works, and makes me want to continue reading them with intensity. She also gives an insightful look into the events leading up to the civil war in a way I hadn't seen before. It definitely sheds light on the fact that many people benefitted from the start of a war-- Harriet was able to build her dream home as the war took hold because of the profits she made solely on her writings about the Civil War. She did more than any woman could during that time period, but even her brother, Henry Ward, seemed to be financially successful as a result from the war's beginning.

Instructionals: Series Table of Contents

I've just completed my Instructionals series about narrative and fiction writing! This series includes nine posts that take you from the idea process, all the way to an editor-ready manuscript. I will most likely be continuing this series in the future-- I am about to embark on the next stage of the process myself, and will be gathering experience to share! I'll be working with an editor, and looking into publishing (or not publishing), and I'll be able to write more on those topics soon. For now, here are the posts for the first half of this series:

1. How to Begin A Piece of Writing
2. How To Plan Your Project
3. Helpful Writing Math
4. Writing Technology
5. Writing With Your Rhythm
6. Writing Communities
7. Building a Scene
8. The Mechanics of Writing
9. Are You Showing or Telling?

Instructionals: Are You Telling or Showing?

Previous Articles - The Mechanics of Writing

Two weeks ago, in my article How to Build A Scene, I talked about the necessity of putting vital information in your scenes. I talked about starting with the most important information, and working your way out to more details and texture during a rewrite. In this article, I'll go over how to add in those textures and details to make your story come to life!

Instructionals: The Mechanics of Writing

Previous Article - Writing Communities

I would like to start this article by stating that I am probably the world's worst person to tell someone else about grammar! I am pretty good at spelling, and I can usually tell if something "sounds right," but I admit to never taking a formal grammar course. Thus, I don't employ extremely accurate grammar rules on a regular basis.

That said, I am well aware of the fact that having good grammar, as a writer, is enormously important. It makes your writing professional, and concise. As a writer, you are a role-model of the English language, and you should represent to the best you can.

Sometimes, grammar correction should be left until editing. Many times, though, it is easier on yourself, your editor, and your readers to simply start writing with good grammar in your first draft. In my case, I do the best I can to come out with my best draft, then I encourage my editors and proofreaders to find all of my mistakes. Again, this is because I severely lack grammar knowledge!

The Risk of An Artist

When you think about a career as an artist-- in any form, whether it be writing, painting, playing music, dancing, etc., what is the first thing you think of? 'Instability' is the first word that comes to my mind. Financial crises, sacrifice, poverty, imbalanced self-esteem, emotional waves, and other negative concepts closely follow. But what if doing one of these things is what truly makes you happy? Would you be willing to sacrifice your family's security, or a better lifestyle, to do something that makes you happy? Every artist has to make that decision at some point-- whether to just off the cliff into a pool of uncertainty, not knowing whether you'll drown or stay afloat, or to stay on the edge of the cliff where it's safe, warm, and dry.

A close friend of mine asked this question today: Why do artists typically have the short end of the stick? He pointed out that it's not right that artists get the smallest percentage of their own sales. It's not right that someone else can profit more from a product than the person who created it. It's not right that the people who have made the sacrifices for their art still have to live with so much uncertainty, and it's not fair. My friend had a good point: There is something wrong with this picture. Something is off.

Instructionals: How to Build a Scene

Previous Article - Writing Communities

I came across an amazing blog post by Laura Cron this week, and she included several gold nuggets about writing good scenes, and avoiding bad scenes. She was making sure every writer has fulfilled their original intentions for their piece of writing-- Making sure that everything in the author's head is really communicated through the text.

She mentioned a few strategies to help perfect your scenes, and to improve the reader's understanding of the emotion and motivation behind it, as well as to continue moving the action forward and giving a rich context. I went ahead and expanded on her ideas, and wrote my own cheat-sheet for writing good scenes.

Instructionals: Writing Communities

Previous Article - Writing With Your Rhythm

As a writer, you can be part of a huge community of writers and readers. You don't have to be a part of the group if you don't want to, but being active in a writing community comes in handy when you need encouragement, advice, and motivation.

In Real Life Writing Groups

Many writers have a group of fellow writers that are there for constant help and support. John Green, a young adult novelist, worked closely with Justine Larbalestier, Maureen Johnson, Lauren McLaughlin, and Scott Westerfeld, a group of other popular, published writers in his genre. They were not collaborators-- more of a support group. Writing is a lonely job, so having a group of friends that will work with you is extremely useful.