Little Did She Know About Foreshadowing

Some months ago I read a manuscript that actually used this line: Little did I know I would come to regret those words. No kidding. Me too. I know, I know: you’re just trying to create a little mystery, a little portent. But when I see a line like this— I had no idea...

Short Saturday: The Paradox of Voice

I’ve written some about finding your voice (there are links below). Many people have. And you’ll hear lots of different opinions … which makes it difficult for young or inexperienced writers to figure out. What is voice in writing? And how do you identify yours? It’s...

Study This: At the Movies

I read recently that John Harrington, in his book Film And/Is Art, estimated that a third of all movies ever made have been adapted from novels; another writer claims that 51 percent of the top 2,000 films of the last 20 years were adaptations (from novels, short...

Born Storyteller

Amy Gallup is an aging novelist and writing instructor in Jincy Willett’s 2013 novel Amy Falls Down. She’s traveling by train across the country … That evening Amy decided to take supper in the dining car. The maître d’, a magenta-coiffed young woman whose job it...