Posts by San Francisco Writers Conference
Best Holiday Gifts for Writers 2023
by Lisa Tener I’m in the midst of holiday shopping and searching for the best gifts for the writers on my list. Having received some of my favorite writerly gifts from writers, I know how special a thoughtful gift can be. Last year, my friend and editor, Stuart Horwitz, gifted me a lovely hammock. I’ve…
Read MoreThe City Our Writing Teacher: Success as Disintegration
by Mary Rakow We see disintegration in the city all the time. New objects become trash. Dumpsters fill up and are emptied. Streets are torn up, sewer lines replaced. Cars fall apart, are repaired. But we shy away from disintegration because it’s scary. We can’t control it. We don’t know where it’s going. And as…
Read MoreCasting The Right Voice For Your Book
by Sue Zizza Once you’ve decided to produce an audiobook from your book you need to consider casting. What voice or voices will be bring your story to life and engage the listener? I like to start by considering the style of writing because fiction and nonfiction each have their own unique opportunities and challenges for the narrator. Nonfiction,…
Read MoreTHE CITY OUR WRITING TEACHER—Fidelity/Place of Refuge
By Mary Rakow There’s a reason why writers, composers, architects and mathematicians wander a lot. When creative people are “in the zone” and we get out, we stop thinking directly about our project. And that’s when we see our teachers everywhere! Bar, beauty parlor, church. This happens because workshops, editors, conferences are all wonderful resources…
Read MorePlanning your novel? Or pantsing?: The eternal battle of logic vs. intuition
by Grant Faulkner I’m often asked whether a writer should plan their novel—or how they should plan their novel— or, if they plan their novel, how much they should plan their novel, and many other questions about planning, pantsing (writing by the seat of your pants), and plantsing (somewhere in between planning and pantsing). It’s…
Read MoreTime’s Up, Dystopia! A Call for Climate Change Novels and Memoirs
By Joey Garcia We’ve been warned about doomscrolling, the practice of spending excessive time on social media absorbing negative news. Doomscrolling is considered responsible for some harmful psychophysiological issues, especially in young adults. In Doombingeing: Why Dark TV Helps Us Cope with a World of Real Terrors, the TV correspondent for Vanity Fair, Joy Press,…
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