Peggy Bechko: Where Do You Write?

Me at desk2 - goodby Peggy Bechko

Where do you write? I’ve had a lot of readers ask me that question and I think I can see the interest. Plainly if one is a doctor or a lawyer, a sales clerk or a waiter, where people work and how they go about their jobs is fairly evident. An office, a store, a restaurant.

Not so with writers. To readers, and many others who don’t read much, writers are a mysterious lot, a strange group, a baffling enigma.

Where a writer writes I think depends on a whole lot of factors such as what kind of writing that writer does, whether its fiction, non-fiction, copywriting, article writing, grant writing, etc. Now I’m going to be bold and assume a large interest might well be placed on fiction writer. After all they create worlds and fascinating environments. Sometimes other worldly, sometimes down the street. read article

In Their Own Writ: Hermann Hesse on Writing

hesse

“Gaze into the fire, into the clouds, and as soon as the inner voices begin to speak…surrender to them. Don’t ask first whether it’s permitted, or would please your teachers or father or some god. You will ruin yourself if you do that.”

Hermann Hesse

(We’re thinking of this post as two for the “price” of one. And that maybe we should start a new Department: Writer as Visionary. What say you?)

What’s The Difference Between Story And Plot?

If Charlie Jane Anders doesn’t have a Phd.D. in How to Teach Creative Writing it’s only because no one on this planet is qualified to test her.

We mean it. See for yourself:

famousfantasticmysteriesby Charlie Jane Anders

People always say the story is the most important thing in good science fiction. But excessively “plot-driven” science fiction is dismissed as mindless or worse. What’s the difference between story and plot anyway? read article

Peter Conquers Showbiz, Episode 4

Outside-Looking-In

Television Writing from the Outside In
This week: What deals have you got?

Last week: Do you have an agent or manager yet?

This week: What deals have you got on your own, and how?

Let me describe six anonymous deals. In each of these cases, the deals came through a friend of a friend (of a friend). Here they are: read article

In Their Own Writ: Samuel Goldwyn on TV Writing

Possibly the best comment on the subject ever (and the one in the pic ain’t too shabby either):

samuel-goldwyn

“Television has raised writing to a new low.”

Samuel Goldwyn