Literally Chatting with Devi Laskar Part 2 – POV & Narration

Sep 3, 2023 | Book Reviews, Craft

As we work through our drafts, the question of who’s the narrator and what point of view (POV) should I choose arises. Frederik Reiken suggests in his essay, The Author-Narrator-Merge, Why Many First-Time Novelists Wind up with Flat, Uninteresting Protagonists, that...

Literally Chatting with Devi Laskar, Atlas of Reds and Blues Part 1 – Interiority

Aug 24, 2023 | Book Reviews, Craft

I recently met with author Devi Laskar (THE ATLAS OF REDS AND BLUES, CIRCA). I met Devi at a writing residency earlier in the year. Her presentation captivated me, and I couldn’t wait to dive into her books. THE ATLAS OF REDS AND BLUES was a Washington Post...

How the Element of Time Raises Character’s Stakes in Fiction Part 2

Aug 12, 2023 | Craft

Switchback time resists the limits of perceiving a story from a single point of view. Tennessee Williams’ The Mysteries of the Joy Rio allows more than one perspective: Mr. Kroger and Mr. Gonzalez, and arguably a third POV, that of young Mr. Gonzalez, Pablo. By...

How the Element of Time Raises Character’s Stakes in Fiction Part 1

Aug 7, 2023 | Book Reviews, Craft

In The Art of Time in Fiction, Joan Silber states that where the narrator begins and ends her story decides how it gathers meaning. She writes, “All fiction has to contend with the experience of time passing. […] This parade of events is what distinguishes the...

Ruta Sepetys on Historical YA Fiction

Jul 22, 2023 | Craft

Ruta Sepetys is a historical YA author and self-proclaimed seeker of lost stories. In a recent interview, I spoke with Ruta about her writing, research processes, and POV (point of view) in two of her novels, Salt to the Sea and In Between Shades of Gray. These two...

Developing and Complicating Characters

Jul 19, 2023 | Craft

As I am working through the draft of my novel, I notice how my initial character sketches are evolving. This prompted me to take a closer look at a chapter on character in DEEPENING FICTION by Sarah Stone and Ron Nyren. Stone & Nyren recommend approaching...

Unice Travels to Mexico

Jul 10, 2023 | Promotions

Look at Unice; she traveled to Mexico City, and I couldn’t be more proud of her bravery. Muchas Gracias Librería Navegui https://www.instagram.com/p/CufSJYKo6Cu/

Win a Signed Copy of LOOK AT ME. WHO DO YOU SEE?

Jul 7, 2023 | Promotions

Goodreads Book Giveaway Look at Me. Who Do You See? by Britta Stromeyer Esmail Giveaway ends July 17, 2023. See the giveaway details at Goodreads. Enter Giveaway

A Sparrow’s Song – Fiction Writers Flirting with Poetry

Jul 3, 2023 | Stories & Poetry

We fiction writers like to flirt with poetry. If you are writing long form, it’s good to take a break here and now, and try something different. Step outside your comfort zone. Allow yourself to play on the page. If you have been baking sugar cookies for a...

Uwem Akpan’s MY PARENTS’ BEDROOM (Voice & Subtext Part 3)

Jul 3, 2023 | Book Reviews, Craft

I recently read Uwem Akpan’s MY PARENTS’ BEDROOM from his short story collection SAY YOU’RE ONE OF THEM (2009) again. It renders a child’s experience of witnessing the death of her mother. The voice stays closely connected to the nine-year old narrator. In...