Better Writer Blog — Live Your Literary Life

Live Your Literary Life

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Posts in Guidance

Truth, Facts and Narrative Nonfiction

Guidance, Heart of WritingJames BuchananDecember 14, 2015fiction, nonfiction, Mary Karr, Aminatta Forna, Lillian RossComment

Revising for Show Don't Tell

Characterization, GuidanceJames BuchananNovember 25, 2015Revision, writing, fiction, nonfiction, narrative, narrative nonfiction, John Steinbeck, Ernest Hemingway, funny storyComment

How People Buy Books

GuidanceJames BuchananNovember 19, 2015book marketing, bookstore, library, online, self publishing, book cover, book titleComment

Very Good Dialogue Advice

Dialogue, GuidanceJames BuchananNovember 11, 2015dialogue, writing advice, How to Write Dazzling Dialogue, James Scott BellComment

Dialogue and Cliche Dialogue Writing Advice

Dialogue, Characterization, GuidanceJames BuchananNovember 4, 2015Dialogue, writing dialogue, theory of the mind, cliche dialogue, advice, empathyComment

Anthony Doerr and the Home MFA

Good Writing and Writers, Guidance, Heart of WritingJames BuchananOctober 27, 2015Anthony Doer, All The Light We Cannot See, writing advice, good writingComment

The Writer's Achilles Heel: Find it and Edit it Out

GuidanceJames BuchananSeptember 24, 2015Writer's Achille's Heel, writing advice, editing, self-editingComment

Jane Smiley on Writer's Discipline

GuidanceJames BuchananSeptember 21, 2015Jane Smiley, flow state, writing, disciplineComment

More Jeffrey Eugenides

Good Writing and Writers, Guidance, QuotesJames BuchananSeptember 8, 2015Jeffrey Eugenides, Virgin Suicides, Middlesex, quote, Paris Review, interviewComment

Ann Beattie: Rock by Rock

Good Writing and Writers, Guidance, StructureJames BuchananAugust 31, 2015Ann Beattie, road map, interview, writing advice, The New YorkerComment

Palahniuk: Let Yourself Not Know

Structure, GuidanceJames BuchananJuly 15, 2015Chuck Palahniuk, advice for writers, writing, fight clubComment

Publishing and the Damn Platform

Finding a Publisher, GuidanceJames BuchananJune 22, 2015Publishing, writing, platform, problem, mid-level publishers, how to get publishedComment

Know When to Stop

GuidanceJames BuchananJune 15, 2015John Steinbeck, write but don't finish, let the spring fill the well, Ernest Hemingway, Mary Karr, when to stop writing, writing adviceComment

I Don't Know

GuidanceJames BuchananMay 22, 2015Schlok, bad writing advice, warningComment

William Zinsser Has Passed

Good Writing and Writers, Guidance, InterviewJames BuchananMay 22, 2015William Zinsser, On Writing Well, writing adviceComment

Wendell Berry: How to be a Poet

Good Writing and Writers, Guidance, PoetryJames BuchananMay 18, 2015poetry, poem, Wendell Berry, how to be a poet, writing advice Comment

John Irving on Plot, Narrative, Storytelling

Art, Guidance, Heart of WritingJames BuchananMay 4, 2015John Irving, plot, narrative, story, storytelling, write for readersComment

Learning from Writers Better than Me

Guidance, ArtJames BuchananApril 28, 2015Joan Didion, Paris Review, interviews, fiction, nonfiction, writing adviceComment

Desire vs Flaws

Characterization, GuidanceJames BuchananApril 23, 2015characterization, character flaws, Dilbert, desire, goal, challenge, reversalComment

A Friend and Mentor

Finding a Publisher, GuidanceJames BuchananApril 2, 2015mentor, writing, fiction, nonfiction, coach, craft of writingComment