As writers, we tend to think we have to keep coming up with outward-directed action-plots that move from the inside out-rather than having the character react to the external world. But much can happen in the world that can generate equal movement within a character’s psyche.-Antonya Nelson, interviewed by Susan McInnis

Just follow the character through a day. What you come up with might not be pages that you’ll use, but might lead you into the place where the story starts.-Thomas E. Kennedy

The birth of a story or novel always begins with an image for me, sometimes accompanied by the first several lines, or, if I’m lucky, a whole paragraph. If the image sticks, I write the story. If it flees, I don’t.-Judith McClain

WA18$6.00