Amber Sparks

People have been asking me for writing advice a lot lately. All I really have to say is just start typing until you’re done, and make sure none of what you’re typing is bullshit. The first part takes until whenever your deadline is, and the second part takes

For years I felt very bad. There were reasons for it. When asked, as writers often are (at parties, in emails, to fill space), what I was working on, I answered, Nothing. This wasn’t true, but I fe…

Forget the golden rules - the best way to write is your own.

This first appeared in Lit Hub’s Craft of Writing newsletter—sign up here. The deeper you are into the work, the more weight the ending seems to carry. It’s not just the ending of the book for the …

This first appeared in Lit Hub’s Craft of Writing newsletter—sign up here. I’ve always been obsessed with Google Maps, specifically street view, but even more so since becoming a novelist. I have s…

This first appeared in Lit Hub’s Craft of Writing newsletter—sign up here. The fullest day I know of begins with taking a portrait of a stranger in the middle of nowhere by 10 a.m. I do this while …

How do you write a crime series? Former student and author Tina Orr Munro shares her top tips and practical advice for writing an authentic and exciting crime series.

I have a tendency to collect titles. When a good title pops into my head, I add it to my very long list of titles that I almost never use. Clearly, I have told people about this, because it actually came up in an interview with Radon recently. I got to thinking, sharing is caring. Those titles

A thousand day challenge to read a short story, a poem, and an essay every night.

The ABDCE structure is a great way to outline a short story. It stands for Action, Background, Development, Climax, and Ending.

From Chekhov to James Joyce, the short story defined modern fiction. Subsequently, it became a form defined by America. Here, one of the great US writers explains why he came to prefer the story to the novel.

From the British painter and sculptor Maggi Hambling

It's about coming home to your art.

Building up courage to own your identity as a writer starts when you realize you need to ask someone for an objective opinion on your work.

Prepare yourself to receive feedback so your writing benefits from people’s input while ensuring you’re taking care of yourself.

Screenwriter Mike White ("School of Rock," "Nacho Libre") takes viewers inside his creative process in an exploration of where ideas come from.Subscribe and ...

On first drafts, unusable pages and the difference between typing and writing

I’ve been teaching one of my favourite courses these past weeks – Self-Adaptation, Making the Personal Publishable – which is basically a small reading group (max 10 on Zoom), concerned with set texts of personal essays, which turns into a writing group where participants offer each other feedback on their work in progress. The idea […]

Your writing might soar to new heights when you make weather—and the words describing it—an important element in your characters’ lives.

Consider how your approach to crafting point of view will influence your story and your readers' impression of your character.

The following first appeared in Lit Hub’s The Craft of Writing newsletter—sign up here. At a literary festival a few years ago, during question time after a panel discussion, an audience member tol…

A character cheat sheet can help in the early stages of character development and ensure you write well-rounded characters every time.

A few checks you can do to try and work out once and for all if your writing is – you know – any good.

When it comes to idea generation and development, what are ways to both provide structure and room to explore?

Are you a writer? Do you like learning about the creative process, either for your own projects, or just cause you think it’s interesting? This post is about to make your day. As I’m su…

Seriously, it’s really weird. But it’s helped me for 25 years!

I would go so far as to say talent is an overrated component. If I was a gambler, I’d put my money on an average writer who knows how to work hard over someone who is supposedly talented but doesn’t know how to apply the AOC rule (Ass On Chair).

When I learned “show, don’t tell,” I thought I’d discovered a guide that would never fail me. And sure, it was good for me, in the way training wheels help in learning to ride a bike. The directive…

1. Read like mad. But try to do it analytically – which can be hard, because the better and more compelling a novel is, the less conscious you will be of its devices. It’s worth…