Category Archives: critique

Soothing the Reader

Posted on November 29, 2016 by Nancy

There is something important to remember and that is that the reader wants you to succeed. The reader of a novel wants nothing more than to forget she is reading. She wants to fall into your fictional world so deeply … Continue reading →

Posted in Advice, comfort, Completing a novel, creativity, critique, Decisions, Drafts, emotion, failure, fiction, Uncategorized | Tagged advice, character, details, priorities, process, reader's trance, storytelling | 2 Comments

Is Confidence Necessary?

Posted on September 19, 2016 by Nancy

I am at an age where I look back on my younger self with great tenderness. I wonder what happened so early in my childhood that my confidence was completely wiped out. There are of course institutions and people to … Continue reading →

Posted in comfort, Comparison, creativity, critique, emotion, failure, fantasy, privacy, Self-worth, silence, Society, survival, Telling our stories, Uncategorized, Visibilty, Wounds | Tagged creative life, dread, fantasy, fear, life of a writer, literary world, public, self esteem, self-worth, success, winners losers | Leave a comment

Holding Space for Yourself

Posted on February 15, 2016 by Nancy

In teaching, one of the things I try to do is hold space. In my private prompts classes, we close our eyes and take some deep breaths and get quiet, letting the workweek fall away, the effort that went into … Continue reading →

Posted in class, Community; Genorosity, Comparison, Competition, creativity, critique, Day by day, depression, emotion, Energy, Gratitude, Prompts, silence, Uncategorized, what artists need, Writing exercises | Tagged comparison, competition, creative life, hierarchy, love, praise; accolades; worth; words and value, process, promotion, sacred space, self-promotion | Leave a comment

Thick Skin vs. Self Knowledge

Posted on November 2, 2015 by Nancy

I am often asked about the ethics of memoir. Specifically, is it ethical to write about another person? Can I be sued? Should I use real names? My answers are, respectively: Yes and no, maybe, and definitely not. There. Now … Continue reading →

Posted in class, Competition, creativity, critique, Drafts, editors, emotion, fiction, Revision, Self-worth, Uncategorized | Tagged character, creative life, praise; accolades; worth; words and value, process, productivity, public, self esteem, self-worth, support, working, writing life | 4 Comments

Thick Skin, Tender Heart

Posted on May 11, 2015 by Nancy

Dear Lisa, Last week I received the revision letter for a novel that will be published in 2016. The notes are far more extensive than I expected. As I scrolled through initially I panicked. It seemed too much to absorb, … Continue reading →