by Nathan James | Jan 31, 2017 | Fiction|Poetry, YeahWrite
to comma(,?) or not to comma I gotta tell you: when I first started working as a professional editor I was so confused about commas. It seemed like between high school and college I’d been told a lot of conflicting things about those nasty buggers and when to...
by Nathan James | Jan 17, 2017 | Fiction|Poetry, YeahWrite
the beast in your writing Did you know somewhere inside that gorgeous poem or story you just finished lurks a seething, unpredictable animal? Yes, grammar is an intimidating monster. I blame English textbooks. The instruction I received made it seem like all grammar...
by Nathan James | Jan 10, 2017 | Fiction|Poetry, YeahWrite
She pissed on my lap I was sitting on my friend’s couch in the middle of a crowded birthday party when the cat jumped up on my lap. The woman next to me stopped her conversation to smile at me and say, “You must be a cat person.” Iris the cat purred...
by Nathan James | Dec 27, 2016 | Fiction|Poetry, YeahWrite
Opinions Neil Gaiman said: “When (beta readers) tell you something is wrong or doesn’t work for them (in your writing), they are almost always right. When they tell you exactly what is wrong and how to fix it, they are almost always wrong.” Yikes....
by Nathan James | Dec 13, 2016 | Fiction|Poetry, YeahWrite
boxed in Lately my creativity has been boxed up like a black lab in an empty house full of leather furniture. I’ve only had the energy to write a quick sentence in a Christmas card or build a half scene in a writing exercise. I’m gonna blame my short...
by Nathan James | Nov 29, 2016 | Fiction|Poetry, YeahWrite
watch your tone How would you describe the rain in the picture? Well, it all depends on what that woman is doing, doesn’t it? If she’s meeting up with her married lover, Jean-Jacques, the raindrops slipping between her collar and her neck may be reminding...
