“The problem with fiction, it has to be plausible. That’s not true with non-fiction.”–Tom Wolfe
Category Archives: Writing
John Cheever on Usefulness
“The need to write comes from the need to make sense of one’s life and discover one’s usefulness.”–John Cheever
Jim Thompson on Story and Plot
“There are thirty-two ways to write a story, and I’ve used every one, but there is only one plot–things are not as they seem.”–Jim Thompson
Jim Thompson’s philosophy about plot aligns closely with mine. What is your attitude towards the subject? Please share in the comments!
Edith Wharton on Dialogue in Fiction
“Dialogue in fiction should be reserved for the culminating moments and regarded as the spray into which the great wave of narrative breaks in curving toward the watcher on the shore.”–Edith Wharton
[Writing in Art] I Call It My True Companion by Coles Phillips
This is another Coles Phillips-illustrated advertisement for Sheaffer fountain pens. It appeared in Motion Picture Classic in 1920.

I Call It My True Companion by Coles Phillips, 1920
[Mae’s Writing Days] Scrivener, Show Me What You’ve Got!
I caved and bought Scrivener. I hope my novella thanks me.

The Letter by Alfred Stevens
Daily Diversion #365: One Line a Day
Even though I’m a writer, I’m horrible at keeping a journal. I want to go back and edit my work, which defeats the purpose of keeping a diary. It doesn’t take long for my perfectionism to turn into frustration. I’m sure you can guess what always happens next.
This one line a day journal is perfect for me, though. It’s practical, low-pressure, and pretty. I call that a win!

One Line a Day
Heigh-Ho, January! Sane (and Fun) Writing Goals for the New Year
This is one of the first pieces that I wrote for ASPL, five years ago.
A Small Press Life: Books. Art. Writing. Life. Tea.
January, although frigid and dreary, has a few compensatory gifts up its wintry sleeve that no other month can offer: a chance to rewind the clock to start, a vague idea that anything is possible, and a sense of euphoria that can only be found when the year is in its first blush. Although these feelings naturally fade as the temperature rises, you should be able to use this energy all year-long. The goals I have in mind aren’t tauntingly out of reach, nor must they be broken down into a dozen discouraging steps; they could just as easily be called Life Skills for Writers.
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Gertrude Stein on Loafing
“It takes a heap of loafing to write a book.”-Gertrude Stein
After three years of “loafing” (researching, living, philosophizing, and planning things in my head), I started writing my first book today.
Wish me luck!
Here’s to a creative 2017 for us all.
Paul Valéry on Why a Work is Never Completed
“A work is never completed except by some accident such as weariness, satisfaction, the need to deliver, or death: for, in relation to who or what is making it, it can only be one stage in a series of inner transformations.”-Paul Valéry