After Elmore Leonard died in August at the age of 87, it was hard to avoid one version or another of his Ten Rules for Writing … Just for fun, I’d like to go through a few of these rules and add my two cents.
Category: Craft
Our Craft column archive, which features an array of guest contributors.
Craft: The Internet Conundrum by Michael Suppa
Craft: Getting to There by Risa Nye
Craft: Commence(ment) by Donna Steiner
Craft: One Famous Fowl’s Trek into Traffic and What the Writer Can Glean from It
Craft: Back to the Beginning by Risa Nye
Last time, I wrote an essay about endings—and for this issue I decided to write about beginnings. Topsy-turvy thinking, or all part of my careful plan? Let’s go with the topsy-turvy thinking. But I have a great excuse for going in reverse order: once again, I’ve been given food for thought by some excellent writers.
Craft: Square One by Donna Steiner
Craft: Making a List by Risa Nye
For me, a list is like a life preserver, something to keep me afloat when I feel like I’m sinking under the weight of “shoulds” and “gotta’s.”
Craft: All’s Well if it Ends Well by Risa Nye
If I had to name the most challenging aspects of writing—no matter if we’re talking about fiction or nonfiction—nailing the ending would come at the top of the list, followed by “getting started” and “doing the middle bit.” Coming up with the right ending can throw a writer into a tizzy.
Craft: Look it Up by Donna Steiner
We had two reference books at home when my siblings and I were in elementary school. One was a massive dictionary, the other was a massive encyclopedia. These two volumes must have each cost my parents a small fortune, but they were invaluable. Together, the tomes probably weighed more than any one of us kids. …