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smeltzmail
Sep 8, 20222 min read
Ready, Set, Go! Starting Your Stories
Nailing the beginning of our stories is key to hooking readers and keeping them turning the pages. But there's sooooo much we want...
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smeltzmail
Aug 15, 20223 min read
Happy News: When Our Work Surprises Us
The past couple months, I've been cheating on my main work in progress (a novel) by competing in a couple micro and flash fiction...
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smeltzmail
Aug 9, 20221 min read
The blog is back...
After a long loooooong hiatus, I'm kicking off this blog again. While there are several reasons behind it, probably the most important is...
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smeltzmail
Jun 16, 20161 min read
Authenticity: Perfecting the Recipe
My fiction students and I have spent a healthy amount of time talking about how to achieve authenticity in our work. The trick is not...
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smeltzmail
May 14, 20162 min read
Rejection Club: Join Your Favorite Writers
I had a great week in terms of writing life—three rejections rolled in. Two I completely expected. I'd aimed high in sending a new story...
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smeltzmail
Apr 13, 20162 min read
In Search of Your Voice: Conquering One Grain of Sand at a Time
My advanced fiction workshop class and I have been talking about voice a lot. Voice—that somewhat enigmatic characteristic of a work that...
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smeltzmail
Mar 24, 20162 min read
Writer's Block's Kryptonite: Knowing Your Process
In a recent "Getting to Know Our Instructors" interview for WriterHouse, one of the questions was about writer's block, and if I had any...
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smeltzmail
Feb 27, 20161 min read
"The Fine Art of Goldfish" Takes Flight
I'm super-psyched to report my short story, "The Fine Art of Goldfish" is out in Apeiron Review's Issue 10. Check it out on page 5 in the...
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smeltzmail
Feb 6, 20162 min read
Why Movies from Books Often Suck
While teaching this past week, my class engaged in an interesting conversation about description. Specifically, we discussed how the...
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smeltzmail
Sep 8, 20152 min read
When Trains Collide: Building a Compelling Plot
Upon reaching page 100 in my novel draft, I realize that I know one of my trains really well. By train, I mean my protagonist. The other...
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smeltzmail
Sep 3, 20152 min read
Keep Putting Words to Page
Writing a difficult scene last night, I almost made myself physically ill. It was like method acting (or like I imagine method acting I...
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smeltzmail
Aug 24, 20152 min read
Potatoes in Space: Publishing Evolution
The man made me really, really care about taters. Now I am already a lover of potatoes, but it's kind of a generalized love—to quote...
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smeltzmail
Aug 11, 20152 min read
Writerly Inspiration: Catching the Bubbles
Making the decision to return to my more writerly way of life has prompted the most wonderful discussions with my friends and family, as...
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smeltzmail
Aug 6, 20153 min read
Seeing All the Colorful Pieces
Today was my dear Aunt Ruth's funeral. After a very rough two weeks, feeling exhausted and emotionally raw, something kicked in...
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smeltzmail
Jul 22, 20151 min read
Read. Listen. Write. Repeat. Finding Inspiration in Others' Work
Whenever I'm in a really productive writing groove, I surround myself with inspirational creative outputs from others. I've been on a...
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smeltzmail
Jul 11, 20152 min read
Literary Pilgrimage: Lucy Maud Montgomery's inspiration for Anne's Green Gables
Today I visited the house that inspired L. M. Montgomery's Green Gables, home to the beloved character Anne Shirley. I'm in Canada for...
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smeltzmail
Jul 10, 20151 min read
Writers Before the Interwebs Were HARD CORE!
With as frequently as I find myself doing an internet search for information for my novel in progress, I realize writers years ago, as...
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smeltzmail
Jul 8, 20151 min read
A New(ish) Coinage I Hope to Spread Via My Novel (and Everywhere)
Be advised: adult language to ensue. Have you ever been stumped for just the apt word or phrase to describe a particularly bad situation?...
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smeltzmail
Jul 7, 20151 min read
This Little Writing Life of Mine
So this is my new blog, from Kristie Smeltzer, aspiring writer. Here I'll chronicle writing adventures, misadventures, and stuff I find...
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