“If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot.” ― Stephen King, On Writing, A Memoir of the Craft Every writer knows the importance of reading. A good book doesn’t just entertain;…
With everything our teens have going on today – classes, extracurriculars, college applications, and more – we know how hard it is to sit down and read. Still, we constantly remind our community’s young writers that reading is the single best way to learn how…
Ask any author which book first kept them up reading all night. That book is probably why they became an author. In fact, reading is the single best way to learn to write well. Not just reading, but reading for pleasure, as widely, deeply, and…
TWC poetry and fiction instructor Jared Harel delves into the beauty he discovered reading children’s books I don’t remember being read to as a child. My parents were good ones—doting and thoughtful—so perhaps I was, but nothing comes to mind. In fact, I recall only…
It’s holiday time again – and here at The Writers Circle, we’re celebrating with our fourth annual Gifts for Writers compilation. Personally, I get tons of great holiday gift ideas from scouring the Internet and hope this particular list is useful for the writers in…
It’s that time of year again, when all our thoughts turn to gift-giving. If you have a writer in your life, The Writers Circle has some suggestions that celebrate that special avocation and make your writer feel cherished! Writers love reading, of course (Why else…
by Cindy Sharra, TWC Intern As New Jersey’s prolonged winter loosened its grasp, the long-awaited summer took its place. Students from around the area parted from their schools and supplies – except from their pencils, that is. But they wouldn’t be used for writing research…
One of my teen writers was talking to me about a book she was reading this past week. In the space of three sentences, she had diagnosed why the writer’s technique was working and – even more importantly ― applied what he had done to…
by Daniele Walker, TWC Program Coordinator Our first week of Summer Intensives is underway. Twenty-five students, ages 10-17, are doing what they came for: writing, writing, writing. The experience definitely has been intense so far with morning warm-ups, genre workshops with some of TWC’s finest…
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…
I foolishly started reading Anna Karenina this spring – twice, and then again this summer. Each time I was dissuaded by the time-swallowing responsibility of editing other people’s work. Beloved writer-friends and clients, you know I adore you. But every once in a while it…
I’m lucky because my boys, ages 6 and 9, still let me read to them each night before bed. They’ve graduated from children’s picture books to novels that develop psyches – Narnia, Harry Potter, the wild, wondrous world of Roald Dahl. Recently I convinced them…
