How to Write an Autobiographical Novel
“I told my students all the time: writing fiction is an exercise in giving a shit—an exercise in finding out what you really care about.”
A Gift of Hope
A Gift of Hope For Christmas, I received a gift of Hope: A Survival Guide for Trying Times by Jane Goodall and Douglas Abrams There’s no need to say that now is a good time to read such a book. … Continued
Fox and I: Wilderness, Friendship, Extraordinary Language
Wilderness When I was a teen, I backpacked a lot, mostly in Southern California with its rugged mountains and granite boulders. Once I spent two weeks climbing around in the Bighorns in Wyoming. On these trips, my friends and I … Continued
What’s the Purpose of a Book Review?
The book review star rating system is meaningless. The sole purpose of a book review is to inform the potential buyer about the contents of books. A good review allows that buyer to know if the book being reviewed is … Continued
Book Reviews, Cancel Culture, and Sex Cults
Book Reviews and Sex Cults Lauren Hough was born into and grew up in the Children of God, a sex cult known to members as “the Family.” Hough’s abusive upbringing was my primary reason for wanting to read Leaving Isn’t … Continued
The Perfectly Constructed YA Novel
Meg Medina’s Burn, Baby, Burn is an example of A perfectly constructed YA novel. It’s great storytelling. This didn’t surprise me as I’d loved Medina’s Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass. I’d recommend Burn to any teen looking for … Continued
Writing Inspiration from The Friend by Sigrid Nunez
The Friend by Sigrid Nunez is about writers, how they relate to one another, and how they engage with the larger world. It’s a great read for anyone who is writing just now.
Try a Family Book Club
People joke about their love of the wine and food, but book clubs are essentially a great experience because we get to discuss one of our favorite things with some of our favorite people. I’ve participated in book clubs with … Continued
The Miseducation of Cameron Post: Literary Quality YA
posted in: Book Reviews, Character Development, Inspiration, Writing Advice, YA fiction, YA literature |
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The film The Miseducation of Cameron Post based on the YA novel of the same name won the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Festival. I’m naive enough about the judgment of critics to think that this meant they would all … Continued
Tim Winton’s “Breath” as exemplary lyricism and storytelling
Because I am something of a media moron, I just found out that Tim Winton’s short novel Breath has been made into a movie directed by Simon Baker and was released on June 1. In an interview for FilmInk Magazine, … Continued