Hi everybody. The question I get most is: “Where do you get your ideas?” Generally, when I’m asked this question, it’s at a book event where it’s difficult to answer, because… Well, the answer is long, and complicated, and hard to pin down, and most of the time, I don’t really remember how it happened…. Read more »
craft of writing
Bells and Echoes: The Craft of DOOMSDAY BOOK by Connie Willis
Connie Willis’s Doomsday Book is one of my favorite books, and also one of the best books ever written. It is a masterpiece. It’s also extremely sad, and happens to be about deadly epidemics. So I’ll start by saying that depending on what you’ve experienced in the past year, this may not be the book… Read more »
A Book Needs Space: The Craft of THE HOUSEKEEPER AND THE PROFESSOR by Yoko Ogawa
I took a break from my craft series for a couple months. And then I handed in the first draft of a new book this week! Which means that this weekend I can finally turn my attention to writing about craft in The Housekeeper and the Professor, by Yoko Ogawa. Yoko Ogawa’s slender, stunning book,… Read more »
Writing Emotion: The Craft of H IS FOR HAWK, by Helen Macdonald
Today in my craft post, I’m going to talk about a straightforward skill… while referencing a book that’s wonderfully un-straightforward. H Is for Hawk is a memoir by Helen Macdonald that weaves together several threads, the three biggest of which are: her experience of training a northern goshawk; her analysis of T. H. White’s memoir… Read more »
A Book Is a Story — But Which Story Is It?: The Craft of THE CHANGELING, by Victor LaValle
Before I start talking about Victor LaValle’s beautiful book, a point of housekeeping: Now that an eon has passed, I’ve finally updated my praise and awards page for Jane, Unlimited. I have a bad habit of never getting around to this task until it’s time to start clearing things out for the new book. The… Read more »
A Book Is a Web: The Craft of MONDAY’S NOT COMING, by Tiffany D. Jackson
I’ve decided to write some essays on the craft of fiction writing, each focusing on a particular and specific skill, and each referring to a stupendous book that serves as an example of that skill. That way, I get to dive into some nitty-gritty craft topics while also recommending good books. This post contains some… Read more »
