Is your life today what you pictured a year ago?
A year ago, I didn’t expect that my life would be any different.
The differences are that I finished my play and that I came out.
It took 10 years (and a series of amazing playwriting classes) to get it to the finish line. As for coming out, it took years of therapy and courage that I didn’t know I had.
I don’t always believe in fate. But I do believe that some people are put in front of us for a reason.
You, Again: A Novel, by Kate Goldbeck, was published in September. Set in New York City, Ari and Josh’s meet-cute comes via one of Ari’s roommates. She is an NYC transplant who is sexually fluid when it comes to her romantic/sexual partners, a free spirit, and has come to the Big Apple to become a comedian. Josh is a Manhattan native who has two goals in life: open a successful restaurant and find “the one”.
When they initially meet, there is both an immediate dislike and an unwanted attraction. The only thing that Ari and Josh have in common is that they are sleeping with the same woman. They think that this encounter is one and done. Neither can foresee that they will meet again and discover that the other could be their person.
This is basically the literary love child of When Harry Met Sally and Pride and Prejudice. I liked the chemistry between Ari and Josh. I could feel the tension between them. I also liked that Goldbeck kept them apart for years before bringing them together. It allowed both of her protagonists to grow to the point in which they were ready for a relationship.
One aspect of the narrative that I found interesting is that Josh is the romantic one. Normally, it is the female (in a heterosexual relationship) who believes in true love.
The problem is that by the time I got to the halfway point, the magic that should kept me reading dimmed considerably. I didn’t want to, but I had to put it down.
Do I recommend it? No.
You, Again: A Novel is available wherever books are sold.
After 30-odd years of using computers, I don’t think I could write by hand. I would have way too many notebooks containing story ideas that did not work out. I have gotten used to the ability to edit or delete without using new pages or throwing the books into the recycling.
The key to creating a compelling fiction narrative is for the audience and/or reader to care about the characters and the story. How to create that entrancing tale is a question that writers have wrestled with for generations.
Damn Fine Story: Mastering the Tools of a Powerful Narrative, by Chuck Wending, was published in 2017. After writing numerous books, the author knows a thing or two about storytelling. Using a number of techniques (and referencing pop culture touchstones such as Star Wars and Die Hard), Wending walks the reader through the process of keeping the audience/reader engaged.
As writing books go, this is one of the better ones that I have read. Balancing the sometimes dry conversation of how to write with references we can all recognize, he speaks to every writer, regardless of genre or format.
Do I recommend it? Absolutely.
Damn Fine Story: Mastering the Tools of a Powerful Narrative is available wherever books are sold.
Creativity is like a ball of energy. Without a vessel/tool to harness it or shape it, it just hangs there.
The Artist’s Way, by Julia Cameron, was originally published in 1992. The 25th-anniversary edition was published in 2016. In the book, Cameron takes a unique approach to be creative. Using a variety of techniques (such as The Morning Pages and Artist Dates) she encourages her readers to dig deep and discover what is holding them back. She also includes exercises, activities, and prompts in each chapter, giving the reader further opportunities to pull out what is metaphorically inside of them.
I was shocked that I had never heard of this book until a friend told me about it recently. Learning about Cameron’s methods was almost akin to picking up a mental health-related self-help book. It’s not just about facing what is blocking us as artists, it is what is holding us back in life as well.
Do I recommend it? Absolutely.
The Artist’s Way is available wherever books are sold.
When it comes to famous writers, there are only a few who are universally loved and worshipped. At the top of this list is William Shakespeare. Today is his birthday. I could list why he is one of the greatest writers in human history, but I will let the work speak for itself.
Ask any writer and they will tell you that the hardest part of writing is editing. Otherwise known as killing your darlings, it is much more difficult the just deleting or scratching out areas of the text that need to fixed or removed completely. It is destroying the work that the writer has put blood, sweat and tears into.
Unfortunately, it is part of the writing process, whether we like it or not.
Enter the cut page.
I’ve had cut pages for the last few years and I find them to be helpful. The cut page is a separate document from the document that contains your story. Instead of permanently deleting text that was removed during the editing process, it is saved to perhaps be used at a later date.
Below is an example of the cut page from the story I am presently working on.
One of the things I have learned is that every writer has their own style and their own way of working. For me, that includes having a cut page.
Among writers, the joke is that there is only one rule on how to write: there is no rule. There is however, two tried and true methods that writers employ to create their work. These methods are called pantsing and plotting.
Pantsing is when a writer will sit down to write and let their characters dictate where the story goes. Plotting is when a writer will construct an outline before creating the actual story. As there is with everything in life, there are pros and cons to both.
Pantsing
Plotting
My approach to writing is that of a panster. However, I can see the value in plotting, which can come in handy when editing your work.
Now, the question is, which is better? That answer is every writer must make up their own mind. It is a subjective response that is dependent on the writer and their perspective.
Writergurlny 
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