(This is the third post in the Flip the Script series: check out the previous installments here and here.) More so than some other cliched writing advice we’ve discussed in this series, “kill your darlings” sometimes makes sense. It’s dangerous…

Last month I kicked off the Flip the Script series by advising writers to backwardize a tired writing cliche and Tell, Don’t Show. For April, let’s take another oft-heard, much-repeated bit of writing advice and turn it on its head.…

We hear the same writing advice over and over. Show, don’t tell. Write what you know. Kill your darlings. And sometimes those old chestnuts are helpful, but just as often, rules become walls, which is no good for anyone. Walls block. Walls negate.…

My first baby is two months away from needing a name, but I’ve owned baby name books for more than a decade. It’s a writer thing. In the first short stories I wrote, way back in elementary school, I think…

In these posts I usually try to provide straightforward, common-sense advice, the kind of guidelines and principles that could be applied by writers at any stage of their careers. This month, let’s do something a little different. Instead of a…

When we talk about writing, we talk about paper. We talk about facing a blank page, or putting pen to paper; we talk about compelling books as page-turners; and we talk, of course, about judging a book by its cover.…

I recently returned from an incredible writers’ retreat — a few wonderful days in the wilderness — and came home with a fully edited copy of my work-in-progress. The book had been staring me in the face for months, yet…

I am a notorious brightsider. On Writer Unboxed and elsewhere, I have advocated for persistence and positivity, for not letting artistic or career setbacks get you down, for not being jealous of other writers’ success. I have talked about my…

What’s the last thing you bought because someone told you to? I don’t mean things your spouse or kids or friends requested — “pick me up a sandwich, would you?” — but products or items for your own use. Why did…

One of the questions I’ve been most frequently asked since The Kitchen Daughter was published isn’t about the publication process itself. Other than “How do you balance social media time with writing time?” the question I’m most often asked is…

One of the questions I’ve been most frequently asked since The Kitchen Daughter was published isn’t about the publication process itself. Other than “How do you balance social media time with writing time?” the question I’m most often asked is…

There are writers who will argue passionately against keeping your readers in mind while you write. There are also writers who will argue, just as passionately, that you do yourself a grave disservice by not keeping your readers in mind.…

My debut novel, The Kitchen Daughter, has been out in the world now for about six weeks. So it’s early days yet in the grand scheme of things, but far enough into the process that it’s time for me to address…

So many writers are introverts. You’d think that a roomful of writers at conferences would devolve into mass silence, a staring contest several hundred people strong. But that’s not what happens. I spent this past weekend at the Muse and…

Today, your book comes out. It’s your launch day. Well, the book’s launch day. The day you’ve been waiting for, hoping for, working toward, for so long. You are a published author, and anyone who wants to buy your book…

Therese here, elbowing in for a quick sec to say woohoo, our first week of donations in the Writers for The Red Cross auction has earned $450! Don’t miss this week’s packages, including “The Kitchen Daughter” Book Club in a…

Q: Thanks for sharing your process. On a personal note, I’m really looking forward to your upcoming reading at WORD in Brooklyn, and I can see from your website you’ve been doing a round of in-person appearances for the paperback…

One of the most common questions authors get is this: “How much of your book did your editor make you change?” (Sometimes it’s “agent” instead of “editor”, but the question is the same.) And there are unspoken questions behind the…

Happy New Year, writers! I’m not a formal maker of resolutions, but I do find that the beginning of a new calendar year is a good time to reflect. Where am I now? Where do I want to be at this…

Megan asked: I’ve long considered getting an MFA in creative writing. But will an MFA really make me a better writer? Or should I stay on my current path of writing and reading a ton? What are the pros/cons of…

It’s the cliche beyond the cliche: we do, nearly all of us, judge a book by its cover. A cover image that’s beautiful, arresting, and/or unique will draw the eye of potential readers, and a less interesting cover can certainly…

Social media success story! Even though The Kitchen Daughter doesn’t come out for months and months, I’ve enjoyed “meeting” and building relationships with other authors through Twitter, which is how this interview came to be. Stacey Ballis is a friend…

Every book requires research. Even if it’s set in your hometown and your protagonist is a whole lot like you, there will be some moment where you’re not sure of a fact – was the corner store there in 1994?…

July 5th isn’t a major U.S. calendar holiday, but because July 4th fell on a Sunday this year, many people with full-time jobs are taking July 5th as a holiday from work. Including me. So I’m here but not here.…

My book is called The Kitchen Daughter, and it’s about a woman who discovers she can invoke ghosts by cooking from dead people’s recipes. Does that say everything there is to say about my book? Heck no. But does it…

So here’s the question: do you need an MFA? Answer: No. (Score! Shortest. Column. Ever.) But here’s what happens if you ask the question in a slightly different way. Question: Could you benefit from an MFA? Answer: Almost definitely. A…