April 26, 2013 By Mary Hutchings Reed We’ve been writing together for a year now, and, if you did the page-a-day thing, you’ve got a manuscript ready for editing. I’m guessing, though, that a page a day — while a worthy goal — is too ambitious for a first-time novelist who is also...Read More
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
March 1, 2013 If you took my advice from my last column and are thinking of attending a workshop or writersconference this year, I donʹt want you blindsided by a subtlety of craft that trips us all up from time to time — point of view. Editors are very attuned to this...Read More
My writing group will meet tonight, and one seat will be empty. It’s been empty off and on for the past few months, as the ravages of cancer and cancer treatments slowly overtook him. It started with what was surely the worst case of bronchitis ever—some thanks for quitting smoking!—and revealed itself as stage IV...Read More
Bring these things to workshops Non-Billable Hours By Mary Hutchings Reed February 1, 2013 A piece of writing as good as you can make it, but one you know can be improved. And bring a thick skin and an open attitude. Writing equipment — preferably not dependent on batteries or even electricity! The more old...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
“A story has no beginning or end; arbitrarily one chooses that moment of experience from which to look back or from which to look ahead.” — Graham Greene, “The End of the Affair” “Now he would never write the things that he had saved to write until he knew enough to write them well.”...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
