In thinking about topics for revision, my thoughts went to baking. Stay with me, I promise we’ll get there. My husband and I used to own a Bed and Breakfast in a Historic House in the Texas Hill Country, and it was so much fun! One of my favorite things about it was that IContinue reading “Using an Outline to Revise: How Writing is Like Baking”
Category Archives: Readerly on Writing
Outlines and how to make one…
Have you noticed that there are LOADS of ways to make an outline for your novel? There’s Save the Cat, the Story Grid, The Hero’s Journey, The Heroine’s Journey, Romancing the Beat, and the beat goes on. It seems that everyone who has ever written a book has their own method, and they are quickContinue reading “Outlines and how to make one…”
Read Like a Writer Book Club Recap: The Aspern Papers by Henry James
Hello dear readers! This is the recap of our second meeting. Our next meeting will be July 19, 2022. If you would like an invite, please contact me at readerlybooks[at]gmail[dot]com. Happy Reading! Background Published in 1888, Novella, later edited by James and reissued. Genre: Realistic Fiction at the time; today it would be classic orContinue reading “Read Like a Writer Book Club Recap: The Aspern Papers by Henry James”
Thomas Jefferson Day is April 13, 2022
Last year, my daughter decided to move to Maine, so we loaded up her SUV and began a five day road trip across the country from Central Texas to Portland, Maine. We both love to travel, and decided to make the most of our journey. I planned the route to stop at several places ofContinue reading “Thomas Jefferson Day is April 13, 2022”
Buc-ees and Writing
If you’ve ever taken a road trip through Texas (and now a handful of other lucky states), you’ve likely seen or stopped at a Buc-ees gas station. Buc-ees is actually more than a gas station, it is a road trip icon! During my last stop at this celebrated oasis of gas pumps, snacks and cleanContinue reading “Buc-ees and Writing”
Women’s History Month Roundup
Women’s History Month is one of my favorite months of the year. I love March, because it’s my birthday month, because the daffodils are up, at least in Central Texas, and because we celebrate women. As a feminist, it makes me happy. Of course, I wish we celebrated women every month, but we’ve got toContinue reading “Women’s History Month Roundup”
A Room of One’s Own, Does it Matter?
How important is a room of one’s own? Virginia Woolfe was convinced that a writer would never be able to produce without a room and an income. This frees the writer from some of the distractions of life. Sometimes, I find myself wishing for a space that is mine, unshared, uninterrupted, and undivided. I recentlyContinue reading “A Room of One’s Own, Does it Matter?”
Read Like a Writer Book Club Recap; The Anomaly by Hervé Le Tellier
For February, we read The Anomaly. If you are interested in joining us for the next meeting, in April, please send Robin an email at readerlybooks[at]gmail.com Background: This book was on several “best of” lists for 2021, including the New York Times. Here is a sampling of reviews and the publisher’s page: Penguin Random HouseContinue reading “Read Like a Writer Book Club Recap; The Anomaly by Hervé Le Tellier”
Creating a Calendar for Your Novel
Legend has it that Jane Austen used calendars for the years in which her novels were set to make sure she was accurate about dates, days of the week, and also to help make sure she was making sense of her timeline. Well, dear reader, you can do this too, whether it is historical fiction,Continue reading “Creating a Calendar for Your Novel”
Book Club for Writers
The Read Like a Writer Book Club begins this month! It will feature book discussions of great novels both past and present through the lens of a writer. We’ll deconstruct their work looking for lessons in craft, style, and story, so we can apply those lessons to our own works in progress. Our first bookContinue reading “Book Club for Writers”