Publishing makes a writer an author March 29, 2013 By Mary Hutchings Reed This is my 12th column in this space, the month when those who’ve been following the page-a-day program are finishing your first drafts (you are, aren’t you?) and dreaming of your appearance on Oprah’s Book Club 2.0 and The New York Times Best...Read More

      Non-Billable Hours By Mary Hutchings Reed February 1, 2013 We’ve been writing together since April and have written past any blocks; returned to the path fromdiversionary research frolics; and been inspired by the writings of our favorite authors. But even as the manuscript grows, we might be feeling a bit of insecurity....Read More

       December 21, 2012By Mary Hutchings ReedIf you’re a lawyer, you’ve honed the skill of interviewing clients and deposing witnesses. You know how to ask the same question a dozen different ways to clarify an answer, and you know how to ask a leading question, even if the objection will be sustained. But do...Read More

  The Chicago Daily Law Bulletin’s first page had this picture of me (in pink) moderating the CBA’s Alliance for Women’s Author’s panel in November.    Read More

      Write what you know,” is one of the most common pieces of advice given to new writers, but not one that should be taken too literally, at least not in a factual sense. I don’t know a lot more than I do know, and if in order to write a novel I...Read More

IOctober 19, 2012 f you’ve been with us since April and been diligent about your writing on a daily basis, there is a good chance that you have at least 80 pages by now. Isn’t that remarkable? Yes, it is! You may deserve a break today, but I’m here to caution you not to take...Read More

September 21, 2012 By Mary Hutchings Reed We talked in July about letting a scene build gradually in order to give the reader the experience of being there, and in August we talked about finding words. Today, I’d like to write about the sentences that hold those words and how to write a sentence in...Read More

Try rhymezone.com. It’s absolutely essential if you want to write rhyming poetry with any hope of avoiding the obvious. Be careful, though — desperate use of rhymezone may cause groans. Also, thesaurus.com offers a “word of the day” and fun facts, like the medical word for sunburn, “erythema solare,” and word games employing techniques magicians...Read More

Fiction writing shows, not tells July 20, 2012 By Mary Hutchings Reed Mary Hutchings Reed, of counsel to Winston & Strawn LLP, has more than 35 years of experience in intellectual property and entertainment law. Read more about her at maryhutchingsreed.com/~maryhutc and fairwaysthemusical.com. Because you are a writer, and because you are well-practiced and disciplined, I’m...Read More

June 22, 2012 By Mary Hutchings Reed   We started to begin last month, and didn’t get past beginning to commence to begin. Are you ready now? In the past couple of months, you’ve limbered up with morning pages, started your writer’s journal and probably read a little too much about how to write your...Read More