Here you’ll find some of the craft and writing tips that have been shared over my years of editing and teaching writing.
Going to the Dark Side
When I met my boyfriend, Scott, he never watched dramas because they always include upsetting scenarios, like characters he developed an attachment to would then die in some horrible, sad way. He has a visceral reaction to these scenes, making them very difficult to...
Re-vision
I always knew that revision was a necessary part of writing, as inescapable as the need to eat and sleep every day. But I don't think I gave revision much thought--it seemed so obvious. You read your writing, identify the sticky bits, and fix them. Fixing them might...
Je ne sais quoi
What makes a good story? I have a class right now where we are focusing on that question. Last week, we brainstormed a list of over twenty qualities that need to go into a story to make it work. Last night, we brainstormed a list of the deal breakers, the fatal flaws....
The Piler
This week, I read an article by Walter Mosley, "Writing Every Day," which is an excerpt from his book, This Year You Write Your Novel. In it, he says if you want to write a book, make a schedule and stick to it, seven days a week, fifty-two weeks a year. It's that...
Inspiration
I'm reading the current issue of Poets & Writers, and the theme is inspiration. I don't do anything special to find inspiration. I mean, I don't sit and meditate or take long walks or drive around waiting for ideas to strike. And I haven't noticed a tendency for...
New Publication
My short story, "Lover," was just accepted for publication in the spring/summer issue of Melusine. This is always exciting news and I'm thrilled to see one of my pieces find a home in the world. (My friend Renee Beauregard currently has a piece, "The New Deb," in...
Grassman
I'm working on a short story that's new as of today, so I'm very close to the genesis of an idea. Right after Christmas, Scott and I went next door to give my neighbors a "thanks for cat sitting" gift. They told us the funniest anecdote about another neighbor....
God’s Mirror
God’s Mirror is a historical novel set in 13th century France and India. I imagine the life of French mystic Marguerite Porete, who was burned at the stake for heresy by the Inquisition on 1 June 1310. I first learned of Porete in the spring of 2006, during my first...
Saving Annabelle
This is my novel in under 100 words: Minnesota, 1877. Greta saves her sister, Annabelle’s, life only to forever wonder if Annabelle would have been better off frozen to death. She is frozen in a sense; her body continues to grow while mentally she remains the...
Welcome
Want to know more about editing? Watch the Rocking Self-Publishing webinar I did with Simon Whistler. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsPI5NRmKss
I'm Alida
I help people express their gifts to the world.
I do not believe in formulas. I believe that the stories we are compelled to tell the world make demands on us, and it is our privilege to meet those demands in order to reach the most people in the most authentic and compelling way possible.
