By Nava Atlas | On February 26, 2017 | Updated December 24, 2018 | Comments (2)
Dear Literary Ladies,
What advice would you give a writer wanting to improve her craft? I read so many books on writing, and every one of them offers different techniques. Also, how long can I expect to work at this until I see results?
Each person’s method is no rule for another. Each must work in [her] own way, and the only drill needed is to keep writing and profit from criticism. Mind grammar, spelling, and punctuation, and use short words, and express as briefly as you can your meaning. Young people use too many adjectives and try to “write fine.” The strongest, simplest words are best, and no foreign ones if it can be helped … Read More→
By Nava Atlas | On February 19, 2017 | Updated April 14, 2019 | Comments (0)
Dear Literary Ladies,
You seem like such a prolific author, but like the rest of us who live by our pen, you likely feel blocked from time to time. How does this uncomfortable and sometimes scary feeling play out in your mind?
The dark times that came to me as a writer, those sterile periods when it seemed that not only the inkwell but the wells within had dried, were suffered alone. There doubtless have been and are creative writers who have not encountered this dark experience. The sense of aridity, the mind a desert, that usually follows the completion of a book. That sudden panic when every theme or plot your brain has cradled no longer so much as stirs. Read More→
By Nava Atlas | On February 12, 2017 | Updated February 4, 2018 | Comments (0)
Dear Literary Ladies,
I’ve often heard it said that “it’s who you know that matters.” Well, I don’t know anyone in the publishing world. Does that mean my work doesn’t stand a chance of being looked at seriously?
There is no easy road. “Pull” will not help. Knowing an editor, or a publisher, or a successful writer, or having a friend who knows one, will not make up for a poor manuscript. Do not write to editors, or established writers asking them to criticize your work, or for help or advice in getting your book or story published.
They are unable to help you, even if they were willing to spend half their working hours trying to assist the beginner. Your work must speak for itself. Read More→
By Nava Atlas | On February 6, 2017 | Updated August 5, 2018 | Comments (0)
Dear Literary Ladies,
I dream of the day when all my efforts might come to a completely successful culmination. Like many writers, I’ve had some modest coups, but who doesn’t long for that big breakthrough, a work that shines in the national spotlight, or climbs the bestseller lists? How does it feel when you first realize that your work has achieved this kind of dreamed-about success? Read More→
By Nava Atlas | On January 15, 2017 | Updated March 16, 2025 | Comments (0)
Dear Literary Ladies,
I’ve saved a bit of money, and I’m considering taking a few months or a year off of work to write full time. I want to see if I can make a go of it, once and for all. Is this a good idea, or would I be putting too much pressure on myself?
It might be dangerous for you to have too much time to write. I mean if you took off a year and had nothing else to do but write and weren’t used to doing it all the time then you might get discouraged too easily. Read More→
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