The Lure of Magical Worlds
I have a thing for magical worlds. Every time Lucy opens that wardrobe, brushes past the musty fur coats, and walks into Narnia, I get a...
Six Tips for Worldbuilding in Middle Grade Fiction
Every novelist builds a world, but if you’re writing fantasy or science fiction, worldbuilding is a bigger job—one I’m often tempted to...
Charles Baxter's Captain Happen in Middle Grade Fiction
Meet Captain Happen—troublemaker, narrative enabler, change agent. The novelist, essayist, and poet, Charles Baxter talks about Captain...
Making Magic: Six Steps for Creating a Magical System
Conjure, enchant, shape-shift, or summon—endless possibilities exist in the world of magic. Cast a spell, fight a dragon, wave a magic...
Writing the Murky Middle: How Blake Snyder's Save the Cat Can Help
I was floundering in the Murky Middle of my novel. You know that place—the one that happens after you’ve sent your hero off to find her...
Writing Middle Grade Fiction: What I Wish I'd Known
I didn’t plan to write for kids. My first middle grade novel, Little Beast, began as a book for adults. After a few years it turned into...
Writing Every Day: The 100 Day Challenge
Writing every day? Forget it. That’s what best-selling male writers do while their wives do everything else. Or so I thought until the...
This Draft Sucks
It’s the first afternoon of the Novel Incubator Alumni Writing Retreat in Jackson, NH. From my room up in the eaves, I read over the last...
Travels With Charlie - My (imaginary?) Muse
I have a muse named Charley. I call him a muse but honestly I’m not sure what he is. More than likely he’s a product of my imagination,...