We are all writers from somewhere. For me, it is the South, and more specifically, Appalachia. It’s my culture, just as your culture is yours, and it makes up who I am and what I express as a writer. As I write this essay about my place and time, think about your...
Have you ever written a scene that looked good on paper, but there was just something about it that didn’t have…something? Maybe it felt hollow. Perhaps the characters said all the right things, yet…Maybe the setting was vivid, and you described it perfectly,...
As writers, we often feel this burning need to say something important. We’ve lived. We’ve lost. We’ve witnessed. We’ve studied the human condition, wrestled with pain, and collected moments of truth we feel everyone should know. We feel impassioned. We want to take...
I’ve been a professional actor, and I’ve written for actors, and I can tell you that when actors read a script, they’re not looking for beautiful words; they’re searching the script for a purpose, a purpose aligned explicitly with the role they are interested in...
One of the most powerful tools a writer has in his pocket is urgency. When you think about the last great book or movie you read or saw, the one you couldn’t seem to move fast enough through because it was so incredible and you had to rush forward to find out what...
If you’re like me, writing isn’t just about putting words on a page. It’s about writing something with meaning. It’s a promise. Every time you write, you make a silent contract with yourself that your thoughts, stories, and ideas are honest, fair, and worth capturing....
When we think of writing, we think of sitting at a keyboard or with a pen and composing our thoughts. Sometimes, some of us will expand our thinking and include writing as part of the reflective time when relaxing in the evening or taking a walk to decompress (though...
Writing Tip of the Day: Introduction to Layered Writing — What Is It and Why Should You Care? Layered writing sounds pretty much like it is. It involves weaving multiple narrative elements into the same passage or scene, such as plot, character, theme, emotion, and...