Libby Cudmore is a favorite among our Summer Creative Writing Intensives teens. For the last several summers, she’s taught everything from mystery and detective novels to sci-fi/fantasy and micro fiction. Her brand new novel, Negative Girl, is getting rave reviews. Libby’s also the 2018 recipient…
by Lisa Levy Listen: It’s been a long pandemic, and it’s not over yet. One of the ways I have gotten through it—and there is evidence that I am not alone in this—is turning to pop culture. In these days when time feels both slow…
by TWC Founder/Director Judith Lindbergh For anyone who doesn’t know what a “beta-reader” is, just think about software launches. How often do you get a warning that you’re using the beta version of an app and are invited to share your experiences using the software? …
by Laura Romain Do you remember how Sarah Palin (as imagined by Tina Fey) could see Russia from her house? Well, I can see St. Marguerite’s Retreat Center from my front window. The historic building perches at the top of Mendham’s second-highest hill, about a…
Back when I was writing my third practice novel – one of the three I’m intensely glad never saw the scorching light of publication – I found it next to impossible to write the words “The End” on the final draft. I procrastinated. I told…
Giving yourself permission and time to write can be difficult. Life tends to get in the way – the kids, the job, all those everyday demands. This year it’s even more challenging, given that so many of us feel, well, distracted by the result of the…
by Lisa Romeo, TWC Instructor “You’re kind of cranky. But in a good way.” Last night, the final night of an 11-week memoir and personal essay class, a writer who attended each session (despite complicating situations in her life), said this to me by way…
People come and go at The Writers Circle fairly often. They get busy, move on to other things, graduate and go off to college…. But some people stay and their voices become entwined in the energy of a particular group. This was the case with…
More on Revision from TWC’s Associate Director, Michelle Cameron. If you missed Part 1, check it out here. Once you are satisfied that the structure, character development, story arc and descriptions stand up to scrutiny, it’s time for… STEP #3 – SEE THE TREES (and…
There’s nothing like the excitement of starting a new work or the infatuation you might have with having written it. But professional writers are really made by the serious way they approach the revision process. It’s important to take time with your revisions and not…
As an addendum to my last post, I just heard from Words Bookstore in Maplewood that Pitchapalooza is coming on October 27. You can get all the details at Pitchapalooza’s site, but here’s a brief intro to what they do. I hear from friends that…
As many of you know, The Writers Circle is expanding. It’s a thrilling leap of faith for me to take our very personal, very “hyperlocal” community and reach across time and space (OK, it’s only eleven miles…!) to add a new link to the chain.…
