The Secret Sauce to Being a Good Writer (posted on legendary publishing expert JANE FRIEDMAN'S BLOG)
*On October 27, 2022 I was beyond honored to have my essay on writing (The Secret Sauce to Being a Good Writer) published on Jane Friedman's blog. If you don't know who Jane Friedman is click HERE. I'll start the essay here and you can link at the end to Jane's blog to read the rest. As always, please check out and subscribe to my Substack Newsletter, "Sincere American Writing" (CLICK HERE FOR MY SUBSTACK). *** The Secret Sauce to Being a Good Writer Honestly, the No. 1 thing
THE TWO PILLARS OF NOVEL STRUCTURE ACCORDING TO JAMES SCOTT BELL
I want to talk briefly about novel structure because, as a novel editor, I see all kinds of basic issues from the majority of the aspiring writer-clients I work with. There is a wealth of info out there on the web but I wanted to give you a little taste of what makes a solid novel. Because, especially if you write commercial fiction and hope to land an agent and get published, novel structure is incredibly important to pay attention to. The basic concept of the three-act nove
CREATING TENSION IN FICTION AND MEMOIR
To read my Substack Writing Newsletter (please subscribe!) CLICK HERE *This is a retread post from 2017 with minor updates. Still a very relevant topic. One of the toughest things to do in fiction or creative nonfiction writing, in my professional opinion, is to create strong, believable tension. Without tension—between the protagonist and a villain, the protagonist and him/herself, the protagonist and the environment, etc—you really don’t have much of a story. And it’s unlik
How to Get the Most from Your Book Editing Experience
I’m a published writer and developmental editor; I’ve been doing both for around 14 years. Along the way I successfully edited many books (both fiction and memoir), among them Christian Picciolini’s “White American Youth,” Deborah Holt Larkin’s “A Lovely Girl: The Tragedy of Olga Duncan and the Trial of One of California’s Most Notorious Killers,” and Gini Grossenbacher’s “Madam in Silk,” among many others. Over the years I got my degree in writing from San Francisco State; I
HOW TO BE EDITED AS A NEW AUTHOR (OR AT ANY LEVEL, REALLY…)
A-number one advice for new writers especially: Don’t rush the process. Man oh man. How many writers approach me who think they’re going to hand me their first or second draft of a novel and after one developmental edit they’re going to be done? Far too many. In this new landscape of 21st century ‘everyone’s a writer’ world, the culture has simply been infected with the idea that ‘anyone can do it.’ This isn’t to mock or knock anyone. Believe me. I take every email I receive
WHY WRITE ON SUBSTACK VERSUS GETTING AN AGENT? By Michael Mohr
Hey everyone! Before I say anything else: Please do check out my Substack writing newsletter, where I’m currently publishing my “fictional memoir” about my time during Covid living in what turned out to be a totally violent, insane section of East Harlem in Manhattan, New York City. (CLICK HERE.) *Please do consider subscribing. It will always remain free for all. I would greatly appreciate it, of course, if you’d like to become a paying member. I come from a writing family.
Alex Perez: Writer of the Hour
A writer friend of mine recently sent me a link to an interview with author Alex Perez about his experience at the Iowa Writers Workshop. I LOVE his responses. He rails on White Wokeism, and it deserves it 100%. Here is the link to the Perez piece: https://www.hobartpulp.com/web_features/alex-perez-on-the-iowa-s-writers-workshop-baseball-and-growing-up-cuban-american-in-america Here is one of my favorite sections: “My take is the only take and the one everyone knows to be tru
Michael Mohr’s First Blog Post Since September, 2017!
(To read my “fictional memoir” about living in East Harlem NYC during Covid check out my Substack newsletter, “Sincere American Writing” where I am publishing the book in chapters each week: https://michaelmohr.substack.com/) *You can subscribe for free but PLEASE consider becoming a paid subscriber for $5/month. Hello everyone!! Wow. I haven’t posted a single blog post on my website since September, 2017. That’s right. Just over five years. Wild. Much has happened since then
