A few years back I came across Elmore Leonard’s short list of rules for writing. The man had a way of making stories feel like real life overheard. One line from him has stayed with me: “My most important rule is one that sums up the ten. If it sounds like writing, I rewrite it.”ContinueContinue reading “Writing More Like Elmore”
Tag Archives: writing-craft
A Place in the Line
There is a certain kind of work that doesn’t ask to be noticed. No ribbon cutting. No podium. No name on a building. Just a weekday morning, a line of cars, and somebody trying to figure out how to make groceries last a little longer than they should. You show up, you do your part,ContinueContinue reading “A Place in the Line”
Writing Like You Talk — And Meaning It
I came late to the em dash. Embarrassingly late, really… Like a good restaurant that’s been there all along, right down the street, and you just kept driving past. For most of my writing life, I treated punctuation like traffic signals. Period: stop. Comma: slow down. Semicolon: pause, but stay with me. Colon: something formalContinueContinue reading “Writing Like You Talk — And Meaning It”
AI: SkyNet’s Cousin or Just a Really Good Autocorrect?
I read an article today that got me thinking about how every shiny new tech wave seems to come with its own apocalyptic soundtrack, and it reminded me that I’ve watched this movie before with different special effects each time. The Article That Started the Thought The piece (linked at the bottom) looks at howContinueContinue reading “AI: SkyNet’s Cousin or Just a Really Good Autocorrect?”
FROM THE WEB: Lessons from Tolkien’s “Leaf by Niggle” – Word on Fire
While researching my literary anniversary piece on J. R. R. Tolkien’s “Leaf by Niggle,” I came across an essay that thoughtfully explores the spiritual shape of the story. The author describes it as “probably the closest thing in Tolkien’s corpus to an autobiographical allegory,” a claim that feels earned the longer you consider the tale.ContinueContinue reading “FROM THE WEB: Lessons from Tolkien’s “Leaf by Niggle” – Word on Fire”