Writing Archive
Information, advice, and observations on the writing of fiction.
Minor characters in Lawrence Durrell’s Alexandria Quartet
Lawrence Durrell's Alexandria Quartet is a terrific book, especially for writers. One thing Durrell does well is the way he handles the people in his stories; there are some great examples for other writers about how not to waste their minor characters. >>
Fake literary agents target new authors
People claiming to be literary agents are conning wannabe writers out of increasingly large sums of money, by selling them unnecessary or poor-quality editing services. Read on for information about how the scam works, and how to avoid it. >>
Advice for young writers
Some tips for teenagers who are thinking about a career writing fiction. >>
The scent dinner
Writers often talk about how things look, and forget that their readers—and their characters—have five senses. The following are notes on the writing of senses, prompted by a scent dinner with NY Times scent critic Chandler Burr. >>
Clever linking for book bloggers
The outbound links we place in blogs have a strong capacity to provide useful extra content for our readers, and to shine a light on corners of the Internet that might otherwise get overlooked. So if you have a book blog, spend a moment thinking about your linking strategy. >>
Spelling: email vs. e-mail
A look at the continuing controversy over the spelling of email (or e-mail). >>
