Words on a Page

I've just read this article on the Guardian's website with advice for writers of creative fiction, and I'm pleased to see that much of it echos what I've been telling my own students.  I'm posting a link here as much for my own future benefit than anything else.  I particularly like:  Carrot and stick – have protagonists pursued (by an obsession or a villain) and pursuing (idea, object, person, mystery).   ~ Michael Moorcock Rewrite and edit until you achieve the most felicitous phrase/sentence/paragraph/page/story/chapter.   ~ Annie Proulx Do not place a photograph of your ­favourite author on your desk, especially if the author is one of the famous ones who committed suicide. ~ Roddy Doyle For the full article, click here:  Rules For Writing

- William Faulkner, Requiem For a Nun from an epigraph to The Fifth Generation: A Nez Perce Tale by Linwood Laughy

Published in 1986, James Welch’s historical novel, Fools Crow, is considered to be a modern classic within the Native American literary canon. Set in the late 1860s, the novel depicts pivotal events in the history of the Blackfoot Indians, and focuses on the young protagonist, White Man’s Dog (later renamed Fools Crow), as he journeys from adolescence into manhood. The story climaxes with a retelling of the 1870 raid on a Piegan village which became known as the Marias Massacre. Below is a synopsis of the main events depicted in the novel.