Impossibly Condensed Steps to Writing a Novel: A Baker’s Dozen
Each time I teach “Structuring a Novel with Good Bones,” I learn again how difficult it is to condense the process into six hours and how exhilarating it is to
Annabel fights for justice while her daughter, Ivy, craves normalcy—until idealism collides with reality, bringing tragic consequences.
The story begins in 1964 during Freedom Summer in Mississippi when the disappearance of Annabel’s first love sparks a lifelong fight for justice—the novel follows five couples and their seven children from the 1960s to 2020 through the turbulence of civil rights, Vietnam, feminism, and communal living as profoundly personal and political struggles intertwine across generations.
Each time I teach “Structuring a Novel with Good Bones,” I learn again how difficult it is to condense the process into six hours and how exhilarating it is to
Years ago, “women’s pages” were in the newspaper, and The Boston Globe featured “Confidential Chat,” I was home with young children (usually many more than my own—we got through
“KENT, Ohio, May 4—Four students at Kent State University, two of them women, were shot to death this afternoon by a volley of National Guard gunfire. At least 8 other
Writing a first draft is a bit of torture. Planning and outlining are intense. Research is fun. Revising is immersive. Copy editing requires chocolate and coffee. And then there is