It's tools, not rules, baby. This class is about interrogating a cliche writing "rule" to understand it is simply one tool of many--and exploring how its opposite has many important uses.
Jun. 20, 2026, 10am-1pm Central, Loft Classroom, Minneapolis, MN
https://loft.org/classes/craft-fiction-tell-dont-show
#WritingConversations #WritingClass #WritingCraft #WritingCommunity #AmWriting #ShowDontTell #TellDontShow #LoftLiterary
"Show, don't tell" is such standard writing advice that it's become cliche. But is it good writing advice? Well, it depends. Sometimes it's best to show. This class is about the other times. We'll look at ways telling can help you pace a story and better manage the movement of time. We'll study techniques to make summary as alive and evocative as scene. And we'll look at one of my favorite strategies—to show through telling, when the style and tone of the language puts on its own show. We'll also spend a little bit of time examining why the cliche of "show, don't tell" has been so pervasive, how all craft is culturally based, and how to be subversive about those often oppressive rules. Expect close reading of excerpts from writers such as Megan Abbott, Nnedi Okorafor, Yiyun Li, and Jamaica Kincaid. Also expect time spent writing, as we put the ideas to practical use. Please submit this request form at least two to three weeks in advance if you have any accessibility requests for this class. This class takes place in-person, at the Loft at Open Book. Please see the Loft’s website for the most up to date information about the Loft’s COVID policies.
The Hidden Cost of Self-Censorship in Fiction
For many authors, the hardest editor to overcome is not a publisher, reviewer, or even a reader. It is the quiet voice in the back of their own mind asking whether a scene goes too far, whether a character will offend someone, or whether a bold creative choice is worth the potential backlash. We live in an age where what we write is scrutinized more closely than ever before, and many authors have quietly begun censoring themselves long before a reader ever sees the page. In this week’s blog, Ginger explores whether modern storytelling has become overly restrained and what may be lost when authors begin sanding down the rough edges of their work. Drawing on examples from film, television, publishing, and the surprising success of the dark romance genre, he…
https://www.hiddengemsbooks.com/hidden-cost-of-self-censorship/
#ForAuthors #WritingCraft #backlash #censorship #controversialtopics
Janet Vormittag's Crazy Cat Lady books are short stories about living with too many cats and my worry about becoming a crazy cat lady.
Read more 👉 https://lttr.ai/AqrLT
#CatWriter #AuthoredMultipleArticles #MichiganBasedWriter #JanetVormittag #WritingCraft
How to Generate Better Story Ideas Using the Ones That Don’t Work
Generating ideas is the most underrated skill in a novelist’s toolkit—more essential than an appetite for cold-blooded revision, a head for structure, or a gift for dialogue. Generating more story possibilities within a single manuscript separates a competent draft from a novel with depth, complexity, and staying power. So how do you come up with...
The post How to Generate Better Story Ideas Using the Ones That Don’t Work appeared first on WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®.
https://writershelpingwriters.net/2026/06/how-to-generate-better-story-ideas/
#ResidentWritingCoach #StoryIdeas #WritingCraft #WritingLessons
My June writing blog is all about handling rejection...yes, there is OODLES of personal experience represented in my advice!
#WritingCommunity #WritingCraft #WritingLife #HandlingRejection
Five Truths I Learned Editing Hundreds of Books That Might Change Your Life
As a Book Coach and developmental editor, I work on hundreds of books with writers each year, in full or in part. I give feedback on drafts, debuts, and nearly polished manuscripts written by writers tackling their third, fourth, or even tenth book. Because I follow the journeys of so many writers, I’m in a...
The post Five Truths I Learned Editing Hundreds of Books That Might Change Your Life appeared first on WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®.
https://writershelpingwriters.net/2026/05/five-truths-i-learned-editing-hundreds-of-books/
#ResidentWritingCoach #RevisionandEditing #WritingCraft #WritingLessons
Registration is now open for our June Mini-Retreat, a small-group writer community & learning experience with awesome speakers (Henry Lien & Sonya Huber), workshops on sustainable writing practices, prompted writing time, and much more! Details at https://wholeheartedwriters.weebly.com/june-mini-retreat.html
@edibuddies @writers #WritingCraft #WritingCommunity #AmWriting
Siren Bard
Allison Wyss
Eliot
IndieAuthors.Social News
Cat Writers' Association
JacquiG
Rob Bignell, Editor/Author