"Writing is an extreme privilege but it's also a gift. It's a gift to yourself and it's a gift of giving a story to someone.” Amy Tan
A Writing Tool
This year has seen much discussion about the lack of diversity in publishing. The graphic above is from The Diversity Baseline Survey (DBS 2.0) created by Lee & Low Books. The original baseline study was conducted in 2015. While there has been some progress, with more diversity at the executive level in publishing, overall there is little change in diversity. The survey details diversity in the overall publishing industry; at the Executive Level; in the editorial, sales, and marketing and publicity departments; and among book reviewers, literary agents, and interns.
Craft Tip
Do your plot and your main character's emotional journey line up? Everything that happens to your character (plot) should affect her internal journey (character arc). She may learn something that changes how she thinks about her dad after reading her mother's journal, or she may decide to take karate lessons after getting mugged. Whatever happens in the story will be followed by the character adapting to future challenges. This action/reaction is the essence of a novel's momentum.
There's a Story Here: Penco, Chile, 1995
What story would you write about this photo?
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