During the fiction workshop at Glen West, the first and most frequent question instructor Larry Woiwode asked was: "Does it work?" That's the primary consideration. Either a piece of writing works or it doesn't. This may seem a rather pragmatic view, but it's crucial to establish a work's viability before going on to other important questions, … Continue reading Pragmatism, inspiration, and redemption
Telling the story eclipses intention and audience
Compressing everything I learned during my intensive Glen West workshop into brief blog posts seems impossible. But I can give you a taste through small samples. Last Friday, I focused on the first day and wrote about beginning to write by writing. Two of the many literary terms we discussed on subsequent workshop days were intention … Continue reading Telling the story eclipses intention and audience
Literature or fiction?
Lately I've been thinking a lot about what makes a novel rise above the level of merely well-written fiction to become a literary work. A novel can consist of technically flawless writing, but be as bland as a piece of white toast. So it must tell a good story. It's also true that a novel … Continue reading Literature or fiction?
Begin to write by writing
The post-it note centered above my computer monitor daily reminds me, "Begin to write by writing." It's a phrase that struck me during a writing course years ago. Anyone can think about writing, but you have to put your fingers on the keyboard and actually write if you want to be a writer. Readers of … Continue reading Begin to write by writing
The Glen West experience
How would you like to spend several days participating in a productive workshop and living within a creative community? Attend Glen West! Many years ago, Gideon Strauss and I chatted about Christianity and culture. I was writing a series of articles for Christian Renewal on Christians in the arts, and he's passionate about promoting art and leadership … Continue reading The Glen West experience
Post-Glen West
Glen West is an amazing, exhilarating, creative experience. Monday afternoon I returned home after spending several days as a participant in its fiction workshop under the instruction of Larry Woiwode. Remember how I recently reflected on the Place of Place? That post quoted from Woiwode and concluded: Wouldn’t you love to learn more about place … Continue reading Post-Glen West
The place of place
On this Fiction Friday, I'm thinking about the place of place. In 1956 Eudora Welty wrote a well-known essay, "Place in Fiction," that appears on pages 116-133 in the collection of her essays and reviews published as The Eye of the Story (Vintage International, 1990). The same essay is found on pages 249-264 of Critical Approaches to Fiction (McGraw-Hill, … Continue reading The place of place
Living Echoes ending
Last night, driving home after a very long day, I was praying for wisdom and guidance on a lot of things. As I prayed, the beauty of a crescent moon and its reflection on a smooth lake made my heart ache. And I suddenly realized that, in the prayer and the beauty, God had given … Continue reading Living Echoes ending
Living Echoes lives
Living Echoes, one of my current fiction WIP (Works in Progress) lives! It's been over a year since I reported on this novel's progress. The construction of alternating short "now" scenes and longer "then" scenes has made it difficult to write. But this summer I've felt compelled to finish it. Writers often talk about reaching "The … Continue reading Living Echoes lives
Blog hopping
My friend Yvonne Anderson writes fascinating sci-fi, and her blog is one of the stops on the Christian Book Lovers Hop, going on now: June 25-30. What is a blog hop? It's a creative way to link blogs and give readers a chance to win free stuff. It looks like most of the blogs on … Continue reading Blog hopping
Glenda Faye Mathes 