Christopher Lentz It came to me as I watched the musical Gypsy, the story about Gypsy Rose Lee, the top stripper of her day: great writing is a lot like a great strip tease. Before you think I’m vulgar or just plain creepy, think about it. The stories you love best—and your best stories—do an […]

The blank page doesn’t scare me. I’m one of those writers who has dozens of story ideas, plenty of partially written projects, and fully drafted manuscripts in various stages of editing. However, the daunting task of getting a book all the way to “done!” is more frightening than a weekend marathon of Wes Craven movies. […]

Ann Griffin When, in my fifties, I learned of two cousins and an aunt I had never heard of, their story was so compelling that I decided it needed to be written, and I assigned myself the task. The protagonist and antagonist were both deceased, making it impossible to write it as biography, so I […]

Colleen M. Story  Whenever I visit a pier—any pier—one of my favorite things to do is to walk along and read all the boat names. It’s fun to see what people choose to call their watercraft, but I’ve also found that when I’m lucky, one of the names will have something special to say to […]

Today at Writers In The Storm we’re giving thanks for the “writerly” things that help us put words on the page. We're also opening the door for our readers! Share your gratitude for things large and small down in the comments. Fae Rowen   I am grateful for learning how to effectively edit my writing—to fix […]