Category: Writing
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First Chapters: A Contract with the Reader
As a writer, I’ve long been aware of the importance of the first page and chapter of a book. In fact, I discussed the approach one editor takes to first pages in the entry called Chapter One: More or Less Done. But I think that it’s only been the last few years that I’ve though of…
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Behind the Scenes of Saving the Griffin: Working with an Editor
“…it clearly demonstrated where the old cliche of “breath-taking came from.”
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A Semi-polished Rough Draft of Chapter 3: Done!
Every writer has a different way of attacking a project. I like to write scenes by hand in a cafe first. I follow Natalie Goldberg’s strategy that she shared in her book, WRITING DOWN THE BONES. This is my shortened adaptation of her technique. I go to a local coffee shop like the Main Street…
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Behind the Scenes of SAVING THE GRIFFIN: Flying Lessons
“At least we can take care of him for a while,” Michael went on. “We’ll teach him how to fly and hunt for food.” Kate snorted. “How are we supposed to teach him something we don’t know how to do ourselves?” I know that either those lines or a variation of them were…
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A Book for Boys?
Well, first I guess that I’ll have to admit to a narcissistic Google habit. But it is fun to see where my books have turned up. There is one site that always makes me smile when it turns up in the search. SAVING THE GRIFFIN is on a list of books for boys. Now I know that boys…
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Chapter One: More or Less Done
I used to buy into the assertion that picture book writers have to be much more selective in their word choices than novelists. In fact, I still believe that in general. But if I went back to see how much time I spent working on the the new chapter one, I’m sure the number would horrify me. But…
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Back-to-School Writing
Buy one! Get the second one half off! That’s what a good percentage of the signs seemed to read at the mall today. I didn’t study them very carefully though. My college-age daughters were doing their back-to-school shopping. I came along to bankroll the expedition. But instead of watching them try on things, I was back to…
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NaNoWriMo in July
Late last week one of my writing friends sent out a notice. Somehow she missed the fact that she was supposed to bring a completed novel to a master class with Linda Sue Park at the SCBWI National Conference. Clearly this was a writing emergency that required drastic measures. Lynnea decided to embark on a…
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Writers’ Anonymous
My name is Kristin, and I haven’t written any fiction in two weeks…. Instead of murmuring approval, fellow members of Writers’ Anonymous are likely to offer advice of how to start writing again. They might ask things like ‘Why has it been so long?’ Well, my daughter graduated from high school at the end of May, and…
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Thinking with a Pencil
A few days ago, I sat down with piece of paper to outline a note to my agent about how I just didn’t have any ideas at all for revising one of my novels . She had sent me a very thoughtful email about my project before leaving on a three-week trip to Greece. I knew that she…
Kristin Wolden Nitz 