The Writing Life Archives

Thoughts on the 2011 OYAN Summer Workshop, pt 1

July 22, 2011
Daniel Schwabauer
Giving and Receiving Critique, Homeschooling, OYAN News, Parenting a Young Writer, The Writing Life
1 Comment

Daniel Schwabauer I should have known something interesting was about to happen at this particular conference. As I looked at the proposed topics offered by various speakers, a common theme emerged: writers in community. An odd combination, it seemed to me.

An Author’s Reflections on Banned Books Week

October 2, 2009
Daniel Schwabauer
Culture, Industry, Reviews: Books, Movies, Short Stories, The Writing Life
2 Comments

Daniel Schwabauer It probably takes something like Banned Books Week to remind us of the importance of reading, to say nothing of the importance of free speech and the freedom of the press.

How to Write Description

Daniel Schwabauer A student recently asked me how a writer decides what to describe and what to ignore when writing fiction. Do I mention the trees? The buildings? The people? Do I describe them in detail, or just give each a few words. How much is too much?

Why Not Was? – The Case Against Using “Was” in Your Novel

Daniel Schwabauer Put briefly, was is a boring word. It denotes existence. The cat was. The car was. The knife was. Big deal. Lots of cats and cars and knives are. If you want to make me care, show the cat, car or knife doing something interesting: howling, crashing, stabbing.

Changing Values

Daniel Schwabauer One way to dramatically improve your manuscript is to go through it chapter by chapter and make sure the action of each brings about a corresponding change of values.