“Showing” through Exposition: A Study

“Showing” through Exposition: A Study

by | Sep 12, 2019 | Book Talk, charles dickens, Craft, Elizabeth Gilbert, exposition, How to be Good, Inspirations, Kathryn Craft, Mad Skills, Nick Hornby, show don't tell, Writing

photo adapted / Horia VarlanWhen writing teachers say “show, don’t tell,” they typically suggest doing so through dialogue, action, and sense imagery. Exposition, on the other hand—the writing that contextualizes the more active aspects of scene, and is often thought...
Writing Book Club Fiction: What 5 Reading Guide Questions Can Teach Us

Writing Book Club Fiction: What 5 Reading Guide Questions Can Teach Us

by | Jul 11, 2019 | Barbara Claypole White, book club fiction, Book Talk, Chris Bohjalian, Craft, Danielle Younge-Ullman, Delia Owens, Garth Stein, Inspirations, John Irving, Kathryn Craft, Lori Lansens, Mad Skills, Marketing, Markus Zusak, reading guide, REAL WORLD, Sue Monk Kidd, Writing

photo adapted / Horia VarlanLong before I started writing fiction, I belonged to numerous book clubs. For me, adding book-centered conversation to a glass of wine, snacks, and the chance to poke around in a neighbor’s house creates a perfect social event. Yet 90...
Story Collections as Novel Prompts

Story Collections as Novel Prompts

by | Apr 11, 2019 | Book Talk, inspiration, Inspirations, John Cheever, Kathryn Craft, learning the craft, Mad Skills, REAL WORLD, short stories, short story collections, Writing, Writing life, writing prompts

photo adapted / Horia VarlanMany aspiring novelists learn their craft by first writing short stories. This makes oodles of sense: the character’s goal is more immediate, its complications are fewer, and the supporting cast is more manageable. With the end never far...