I’m always of two minds when folks call in with this question. On the one hand, it’s really putting the cart before the horse. It feels best to advise people to focus on the writing first and not worry about getting it out there or whatever drama that might entail. Continue reading “How do I protect my work?”
“I love the way you fix up my quotes. You make me sound a lot smarter than I do in real life.”
Bob, a source I often interviewed when I worked as a newspaper reporter in Michigan, said that to me all the time. Every time, I’d flinch. “Bob!” I’d say through clenched teeth, “I am not fixing your quotes!” Continue reading “Authentic Dialogue”
Chiaroscuro. It’s a mixture of the Italian words for light and dark, and it’s a term used in painting and photography to describe how light plays against darkness to create dimension.
I thought of this word when I read an essay in Time by children’s book author Matt de la Peña, “Why We Shouldn’t Shield Children From Darkness.” He wrestles with this question: Is the job of the writer for the very young to tell the truth or preserve innocence? Continue reading “Light and Dark”