creative-writing – The View From The Imaginarium

The Work of Refinement

It’s a quiet week in my world. A relief after the hustle of my week off work. Traveling There are no announcements, no finished chapters, no visible milestones. What there is, instead, is refinement. Tomorrow I’ll be revising Chapter 7 in preparation for reading at Scribes. Reading aloud is an important tool. It clarifies rhythm,Continue reading “The Work of Refinement”

Knowing the Characters

When I read at Scribes last week, I was amazed again at the response. It does my heart good. People respond as though the characters’ inner lives feel real. They ask questions about motives, tensions, and decisions as if these are living people rather than historical figures on a page. That tells me something important.Continue reading “Knowing the Characters”

What I Wish My Favorite Authors Had Shared

I’ve been thinking about blogging advice lately–especially the idea that you need to know who you’re writing for. That question became much clearer when I stopped thinking like a writer and started thinking like a reader. If I could read the blog of one of my favorite authors, I know exactly what I’d want toContinue reading “What I Wish My Favorite Authors Had Shared”

What I Learn From Revision

Today I’m back at my desk working through revisions and noticing the difference in pacing. Rough drafts and the first revision take a lot more time. It is more difficult for me to draft something from nothing than it is to polish it, even though I work from a detailed outline. Once I have theContinue reading “What I Learn From Revision”

Writer’s Group

Writer’s group tomorrow again. I won’t be going to the November meeting, and we don’t read our work at the December meeting, so this will be my last reading for two months. I tried a name change for one of the main characters at the last meeting and the prior name was preferred so IContinue reading “Writer’s Group”

Rainy Day

It is a rainy day here in Fort Wayne. I spent the weekend visiting my sister in Indianapolis. It was the first time I have seen since the death of her husband. She is getting along as well as can be expected. We went to the art museum and gardens at Newfield’s. It was onlyContinue reading “Rainy Day”