Whenever I talk to young people I am asked, ”What can I do to make my writing better?” The answer is simple: read. The more you read the better your writing will be. I hasten to say, the quality of what you read can make a difference, too. If you read a lot of good writing,
Is writing a short story very different than writing a novella or a novel? My own experience suggests the answer is no. Good writing is good writing, and the goal is to achieve quality no matter what you write. But surely, you say, there must be some differences when composing these different forms. Actually, in
I have just sent in a new collection of short stories to my editor. As yet untitled, it contains a ghost story. In 2016, a ghost story novel will be published. I have published other ghost stories, Something Upstairs, Seer of Shadows, and there is a ghost short story in the collection Strange Happenings. No surprise
I suppose we all know what a mid-life crisis is. We’ve had our youth, and now, in our middle years, we’re not so sure about all those decisions that brought us to where we are now. Worse, we have a sense of what the end game might be like, and we’re not sure we like
A different kind of fan letter: “Dear Avi … … now [I am] a freshman in college and seek wisdom. Any advice for an aspiring children’s novelist? My family had convinced me it was a bad idea to take creative writing classes. So I defaulted on my plan B: business (which is drastically more miserable than I
I was feeling badly about my day’s writing. It did not seem right. Did not flow. Seemed forced. The whole project seemed empty, not getting anywhere. The language felt stilted, stuffed. Frankly, dull. No good. It is not the first time I have felt that way. It will not be the last. Moreover, I know such
Not exactly a Thanksgiving message, but what I quote below is from E.M Forster, a writer, and man I greatly admire. His Aspects of the Novel, is a fundamental primer for anyone interesting in writing a novel. I do not know where this comes from in his voluminous work, but I am happy to pass it
I have just sent in a new manuscript to my editor. As ever, I fall into a kind of melancholy restlessness, a kind of what-shall-I-ever-do-with-myself-now mood. I have known writers who take vacations at the end of projects. Someone told me how, when done, he always cleaned his house. Another, her desk. Then there was
This is a photo my son took of his children—my grandchildren—but it is an image that captures a visual notion of what I hope reading does for young people.
John, from Riverhead, NY, writes, “I love all the detail in your books. How do you find it, and then decide what to do about it?” Well, John, the information comes from lots of places; things I have noticed, remembered, read about, or researched. But knowing the details is one thing, what do with it is