“Good writing, in my opinion, is writing that looks really easy, so easy that a person who has never written more than a grocery list might convince themself that they could also write a book. That being said, it's always a lot of work, as you know. And then there's this: you have no idea how many failed stories and novels I've attempted. I have files full of stories that didn't work for whatever reason.” KnowsWritingLooksPersonsSaidBookIdeasReasonStoriesMightEasyOpinionNovelWrittenListsNo IdeaConvinceNow And ThenFilesGroceriesGood WritingGrocery Lists Author:Mary J. Miller
“A story works when there's momentum, life behind the words. Some stories have this and others don't, and it's difficult to say why this is. If all stories "worked," though, writing wouldn't be much of a challenge; it wouldn't be art.” IfsWritingArtStoriesDifficultChallengesBehindsMomentum Author:Mary J. Miller
“There are many stories I've wanted to write that I'm simply not able to - sometimes I haven't found the way in yet, and it doesn't matter how hard I try.” WayWritingTryingSometimesMatterHardStoriesAbleWantedFoundHavens Author:Mary J. Miller
“Sometimes the way comes later, when I'm not working or thinking about it at all. When stories don't work, you try to convince yourself that all of that time and energy wasn't wasted, that it will make you a better writer, if nothing else.” IfsThinkingWayTryingSometimesStoriesEnergyConvinceTime And Energy Author:Mary J. Miller
“There's definitely a magical quality to writing that can't be explained. I can write something I love in two days, or I can work on a story every day for months and it never comes together.” WritingI CanTwoStoriesTogetherQualityMonthsTwo Days Author:Mary J. Miller
“Perhaps adding a line or two of dialogue to try to better capture an emotion. But I've found that if the story isn't there in the beginning, right from the start, I generally can't beat it into shape no matter how much rewriting I do.” IfsTryingTwoMatterStoriesFoundLinesEmotionShapesBeatsDialogueCaptureRewriting Author:Mary J. Miller
“I don't revise a lot when writing short stories. As far as the novel, I definitely thought more about plot. Honestly, I'm still pretty confused about what "plot" means. I've been reading some of my Goodreads reviews and one reader noted that the The Last Days of California "reads like a short story stretched to the breaking point, padded and brought into novel range..." I don't know what people want, really.” PeopleKnowsWantWritingMeanStillsStoriesLastsReadingNovelReaderHonestlyRangeCaliforniaConfusedPlotReviewsShort StoryLast DayGoodreadsPoint BreakWriting ShortWriting Short Stories Author:Mary J. Miller
“I can't remember who said it - I think it was Allan Gurganus when he was visiting the Michener Center - but he told us to "spend [our] gold," meaning, put everything you have into a story. Other "gold" will be waiting for you for your next project.” ThinkingSaidI CanStoriesRememberNextWaitingProjectsGoldVisitingWaiting For You Author:Mary J. Miller
“I try to think as little as possible, at least while working. I look at some of my early stories and can see the machination behind them, like a gear slowly moving. For example, sticking a dead father into the story to explain a character's sadness and bad decisions, or trying to impress myself with my own cleverness.” ThinkingTryingLooksLittlesCharacterStoriesMovingFatherMy OwnDecisionBehindsSadnessExampleImpressGearsClevernessBad DecisionDead Father Author:Mary J. Miller
“I think training your instinct comes from writing and reading. There's no big secret. And reading slush helps, as well; I'd recommend everyone edit a literary magazine at some point. It's time-consuming, but there's a lot to learn from other writers who are also learning. The patterns (twelve stories about whales in this batch?) are also interesting.” ThinkingWritingWellsHelpingStoriesBigsReadingInterestingSecretTrainingInstinctPatternsMagazinesTwelveConsumingEditsWhalesTime ConsumingWriting And ReadingSlush Author:Mary J. Miller
“I also liked it when professors assigned us stories that they love. In general, I liked workshops more when they were more than just a workshop, when the professor took the time to actually guide us as young writers and teach us things it took them a long time to figure out on their own. I could probably write ten pages on this question.” WritingLongStoriesYoungTeachFiguresTenPagesLong TimeGuidesProfessorsWorkshopsYoung Writers Author:Mary J. Miller