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It’s part of the pedagogical lexicon of writing classes: don’t write just one damn thing after another. The temptation to do so is especially strong when you’re writing memoir or biography. But [...]

Imagine you are in your twilight years and you want to tell a grandchild a story to inspire them to overcome some difficulty they are dealing with. Don’t allow your narrator to launch into a [...]

Don’t let your characters think too much. It can be a cop out. I had this discussion with a writer friend, who tries to avoid using “inner life” in his novels because “it feels like cheating”. He [...]

We understand that conflict lies at the heart of all drama – that the tension between what your protagonist wants and what stands in the way of his satisfying that desire is what drives all [...]

More than the more visual media of story-telling, reading immerses us in the experiences of others – which is why I particularly fear a society that doesn’t read. It’s my belief that reading [...]

Santa Maria del Rosario, on the Giudecca canal in Venice, is noted chiefly for its classical façade – enormous Corinthian pilasters support a heavy triangular pediment. It is an imposing presence [...]

Here’s a little point that’s been bothering me a great deal while reading assignments recently. Have you used the strongest verbs you possibly can? He walked to the door? You need hardly bother [...]

Returning to Venice reveals the power of textural memory. You might not remember what palazzo lies round the next corner of the Grand Canal – but you do remember the groaning of the rope as it [...]