The following is a guest post by a Readerly Writer. As you can see at the end, her pub date is coming up. Huzzah! She writes about one way to use some of the material you cut from a novel. She has created a bonus prequel for her readers that she is using to buildContinue reading “What to do with the stuff you cut out of your novel…”
Author Archives: Robin Henry
Book Review: The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O’Farrell
The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O’Farrell is historical fiction at its best. Besides riveting readers with a ticking clock to a murder, O’Farrell places us firmly in Renaissance Italy with a woman who is young, with limited agency, and trapped in a world she is not completely equipped to understand. Lucrezia is nothing if notContinue reading “Book Review: The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O’Farrell”
Are You Lost in the Forest?
Sometimes, writing a draft is like getting lost in the forest. On a recent weekend in the country with our church in Tallinn, Estonia, I decided to take a short walk on the trails before breakfast. Like the boat ride to Gilligan’s Island, it turned out to be a little longer than I thought. TheContinue reading “Are You Lost in the Forest?”
Guest Post—Busting Writing Retreat Myths
Today’s guest post is by Lisa Shaughnessy, a Readerly Writer who runs her own writer support business to help writers find great writing retreats. Busting Writing Retreat Myths Have you been thinking of attending a writing retreat but feeling a bit skeptical? You’re not alone. In this post, I’ll dive into the three most commonContinue reading “Guest Post—Busting Writing Retreat Myths”
Is backstory the sludge in your novel?
If you hang out on Psychology podcasts or read psychology, you may have heard of a term called sludge. It is related to the concept of “nudging,” which is the idea that entities (governments, businesses, schools…) can help people make better choices by making choosing the better option easier. Or, just make choices easier byContinue reading “Is backstory the sludge in your novel?”
Do these jeans make my butt look big, or who to ask for feedback on your writing…
Do you remember that commercial a few years ago where the woman asked her significant other, “Do these jeans make my butt look big?” What was he supposed to say? I mean if he thinks they do, and he says so, his life will be miserable for the foreseeable future. If he thinks they lookContinue reading “Do these jeans make my butt look big, or who to ask for feedback on your writing…”
How questions help you write!
If you’ve ever written a research paper, you will be familiar with research questions, or guiding questions. As a high school librarian, I have helped hundreds (maybe even thousands) of students write them. When you are writing a research paper, it helps to define as precisely as possible what your paper is about—what you willContinue reading “How questions help you write!”
The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels by Janice Hallett
Janice Hallett uses complex structure in her novels to great effect and the Alperton Angels is no exception. Hallett’s mysteries are like matryoshka dolls, every layer reveals something, but it isn’t until the last one that the full picture emerges. In the Alperton Angels, she takes a fictional cold case and has the reader followContinue reading “The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels by Janice Hallett”
Are You Painting with the Switch Plate Covers on?
My husband and I enjoy the character of older homes. Unfortunately, with that character comes a previous succession of owners who may or may not be completing improvement projects with excellence in mind. I was recently cleaning a room in our newly acquired 1900 Craftsman, when I noticed that whoever painted last had done soContinue reading “Are You Painting with the Switch Plate Covers on?”
The North Woods by Daniel Mason
This literary stroll through history is a great book if you are wondering what makes a book literary. In it, the author uses the frame of a piece of property to tell several stories that seem at first to be unrelated, but by the end, everything is connected! It is literary because it defies genreContinue reading “The North Woods by Daniel Mason”