Raymond Carver was a short story writer and poet, and recognized as one of America’s greatest writers. But how much of that is down to his editor, Gordon Lish? And how much editing is too much? Creative Writing degrees love Carver. His stories are short, and his writing is a perfect model for minimalism. And at university,…
F—k Writer’s Block!
A few weeks ago, I removed myself from my lonely writing routine and joined communities of writers on social media. I saw that ‘writer’s block’ is a huge topic. And it’s also something I’ve seen covered by other writers who offer advice. I hadn’t planned on covering it. And I wouldn’t have written this post unless I…
What the famous six-word story teaches us.
I referenced the famous six-word story, attributed to Hemingway, in my previous article about the difference between prose and poetry. It struck me that it might be worth spending a little time with the story here. One reason is because some may be unfamiliar with it. Another is because it teaches an invaluable writing lesson….
What’s the difference between poetry and prose?
The difference between poetry and prose sounds like a superfluous question until you’re a writer with a bunch of words on a page (or still in your head) and you don’t know if you’re writing a poem or a story. The difference isn’t in the length, for there’s that famous six-word story that Hemingway wrote…
Be Specific in your Writing.
When I moved into an apartment by the Maritsa River in Plovdiv, I became fixated on the trees that lined it. They made me feel something, a seemingly unfounded melancholy. And I knew that one day I would use them for a story. Because fiction is much stronger when the writing is specific, I knew…
The best writing advice anyone has given me.
I heard the best writing advice on the first morning of my University degree, even though I didn’t fully realise until years later. Carl Tighe, pictured above, was the head professor of Creative Writing. He said that I would learn nothing in his lectures that I couldn’t learn myself through reading fiction. This turned out…
What you must know before you start writing.
Nothing. You don’t need to know anything more than you already know. Start writing. You don’t need to overthink your ideas. You don’t even need to know your ideas. If you want to, go ahead, but you don’t need to. You can meet your ideas as your letters meet the page. Decide whether it’s a…