by Jamie Chavez | Nov 5, 2016 | Creativity, The Writing Craft
I haven’t seen Hamilton, but I know a lot of you are fans—and in this article about the making-of documentary Hamilton’s America, author Charles Wendig offers up storytelling lessons, noting, “there’s nothing more fascinating than watching an interesting creator in...
by Jamie Chavez | May 16, 2016 | Books You Might Like, The Writing Craft
It’s nearly 500 pages long—and I flew through Helen Simonson’s second novel set in an English village. I never wanted to put it down. Also, it made me angry (on behalf of a character I loved), and it made me cry a couple times. This is a sign that I was fully...
by Jamie Chavez | May 9, 2016 | Creativity
Almost three years ago, we were discussing a national poll that asked, “When thinking creatively, do you think in pictures, words, or sounds?” Fifty percent of the respondents said they think in pictures. My answer at the time (need you ask?) was I “think [creatively]...
by Jamie Chavez | Mar 14, 2016 | The Writing Craft
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...
by Jamie Chavez | Nov 16, 2015 | Creativity
The photo you see below stopped me in my tracks when I saw it on Facebook about a year ago. It spoke to me. Some of you may know these friends of mine—twins, their mother, and their aunt—but if you don’t, and if you’re willing to let your imagination roam, you...