Tag Archives: tips for writers
A Perfect Sentence or Two
In a beautifully written essay in last Sunday’s New York Times, the novelist and short story Jhumpa Lahiri cites an unforgettable sentence from a story by James Joyce titled “Araby.” Here it is:
Haruki Murakami’s “1Q84″: Disrespecting the Reader
Author’s Note: This Ras-curated post was written by his good friend Howard Cincotta, a fiction writer and freelancer for all seasons. Cincotta read 1Q84 while recovering from outpatient surgery. Cincotta’s most recent articles – on green roofs and Toastmasters International – … Read more
What’s Right and What’s Wrong with “The Sense of an Ending”
Julian Barnes’s novella The Sense of an Ending has been the hot book in High Lit circles for the past couple of months. It won the 2011 Booker Prize for the best novel in English, a reliable indicator of quality … Read more
Tips for Writers: Characters from Life
“This book is for the timid, forlorn, and clueless,” Carolyn See says in her introduction to Making a Literary Life: Advice for Writers and other Dreamers (2002). It’s good stuff. See writes in a down-to-earth way peppered with examples from … Read more
Tips for Writers: Point of View
In my last post I made a distinction between the level of detail expected from writers in the Low Lit Tradition versus those who aspire to High Lit.. Robert B. Parker, master of Low Lit, handles character entrances like a … Read more
Tips for Writers: Level of Detail
One of the hardest problems for rookie writers is mastering an appropriate level of detail. For most beginners, the chore is learning how to build your imaginative muscles to the point where you can create any convincing detail at all. … Read more
TED THE CAT
Ted the Cat (1994-present) is a domestic shorthair blogger and vers libre poet. He also enjoys sleeping, eating, and lurking. Ted the Cat co-habits with Kaze,
also a blogger at 317am.net.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Kaze
Kaze is Washington DC area writing guru Steve Altman. The nickname is Japanese for “the wind.” Read more »
RasoirJ
Ras at Texas BBQ in DC, site of lunchtime chats with Kaze on the art and agony of writing. Ras is also known in some publishing circles as George Clack. Read more »