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Author Archives: James A. Miller
What Masterclass Taught Me About Writing
I finally bit the bullet and signed up for Masterclass. It was great being able to hear from some of the most prominent writers and entertainers of our time—James Patterson, Dan Brown, Joyce Carol Oates, Judy Blume, Walter Mosley, Malcolm … Continue reading
Time is Relative
This week we have a wonderfully touching story by Laura McCorry. Laura McCorry (she/her) is a writer, yoga teacher, and baking enthusiast who lives outside of Washington, DC. Her work has appeared in Poetry Quarterly. Connect with her at lauramccorry.com … Continue reading
Two Books that changed how I write
There are two books on the art and craft of writing that really resonated with me at the time I read them and have also stayed with me over the years. I have read many other writing advice books, but … Continue reading
Posted in Writing Advice
Tagged Books on Writing, Writing Books, Writing guidance, writing guide
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The Wondrous Robot, by Lena Ng
I am honored to share that Lena’s story, The Wondrous Robot, is the first accepted submission for Breaking Into The Craft. Lena is an active member of the Horror Writers Association. A list of her work can be found on … Continue reading
How volunteering to read slush makes you a better writer
I remember the first time I received my assigned slush (story submissions) from the editor of Allegory. Twelve unread submissions, each hoping to land in the publication. It was exciting, daunting, and very eye-opening for me. Once into a routine … Continue reading
Tagging Dialogue: Making the Most of “Said”**
When it comes to writing dialogue, one of the most overlooked yet fundamental elements is the dialogue tag. These are the little phrases that let the reader know who’s speaking, your basic he said, she said, and their many cousins. … Continue reading
Posted in Writing Advice
Tagged he said, he said-she said, she said, Tagging Dialog, Writing
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200 Submissions Later
Lessons from the Long Game of Getting Published I’m approaching 200 submissions. It sounds like a lot, but I started in 2010, so that only averages to a little over 13 submissions per year. Note that I am only counting … Continue reading
Posted in Rejection, Writing Sales
Tagged Rejected Fiction, Struggle, Struggling Writer, Writing Help, Writing sanity, Writing Therapy
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Writing with soul
Unbeknownst to me, my wife of 13 years went through my writing files and read a bunch of my stories. She made little notes at the end of some of the pieces — the kind of notes that non-writers tend … Continue reading
Can a fiction writer stand out in today’s sea of competition?
I saw somewhere that The New Yorker gets half a million unsolicited submissions per year. Let that sink in for a second. Half a million. That’s a serious slush pile. But I did notice that famous people are constantly getting … Continue reading
Changing the approach
I’ve heard that doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result is the definition of insanity. For fiction writing there is truth to that, as you have to be a bit insane to pursue fiction … Continue reading
Posted in WRiting Strategies
Tagged creative-writing, Fiction, Fiction Writing Strategies, Fiction writing struggle, Writing
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Breaking Into The Craft 