Archive:
The Writing Craft
Want Jerry as Your Mentor? Learn More Who she is Her essays have been published in The New York Times Magazine, Newsweek, USA Today, The Chicago Tribune, The Denver Post, Guideposts, and aired on National Public radio. The first two of her five books, My First White Friend: Confessions on Race, Love, and Forgiveness (Viking/Penguin) and I Told the Mountain to Move (Tyndale) were award winners. […]
Read More
Want Jerry as Your Mentor? Learn More Okay, let’s get a few things straight right from the top: This is going to be a very long post, but I’m not going to apologize for it because: 1—I need to brag about how I know Mr. King; 2—I promise it’ll be content-rich; 3—You’re going to learn […]
Read More
Do you start your novel with a Prologue? Or do you dive right into Chapter One? The choice can determine whether readers are drawn in or never get past the first page. I lean away from a Prologue whenever possible. When I do use one, it’s only because there’s backstory the reader cannot do without. […]
Read More
Want Jerry as Your Mentor? Learn More As novelists, our job is to create a story that captivates readers from the get-go. Literary devices such as metaphor, irony, backstory, et al, can help readers better understand, feel, or see a greater meaning to a piece of writing. But with many literary devices to choose from, […]
Read More
Are you looking for the secret sauce that will turn you into a bestselling author? After 21 New York Times bestsellers, I can tell you there is no shortcut. But writers still often ask me for that Yodaesque bit of wisdom “you’d give me if you could tell me only one thing…” So here it is: Avoid on-the-nose writing. It’s no […]
Read More