How to Solve a Problem in a Work-in-progress

by | Apr 26, 2010 | On Writing

Don’t know what happens next in that story you’re writing? Or maybe you don’t know how to fix a glaring problem in a chapter you’re rewriting? Here’s a method that I use to solve a problem in a work-in-progress:

  1. Ask yourself what is the problem? State it clearly. Write it down.
  2. Ask yourself what information, if any, you need to solve the problem. Do the necessary research.
  3. Wait for the answer, and trust that it will come. Try not to think about it. Go on to other tasks (menial tasks work well).

This technique may sound too simple, but the hardest part is trusting that it will work. Our subconscious minds are powerful tools. How often I forget to use it.

Writing From the Inside Out

by | May 2, 2009 | On Writing

When a good story idea hits, it settles in my body and takes over completely. The character occupies my mind, inhabits me, makes unreasonable demands. I find the engine of a story inside myself, where experience and imagination connect. I believe that a story must inhabit a writer to ring true, and that writers must give themselves over to the story completely until it emerges, transfigured by that unique and magical place that is the writer’s imagination.

Why I Write

by | Mar 12, 2009 | On Writing

I write to understand the world. It’s that simple. I love how a gorgeous string of words can alter my perceptions, widen my view of the world. Words have incredible power. They can inspire us to do great things. They can make us laugh or cry. I’m continually fascinated by the power of words to move me.