Cynthia Harrison

Novelist

Year: 2004

  • Faith

    Got a nice note from Jonathon about yesterday’s post. It’s nice to know I’m not the only writer who sometimes has doubts about their talent. He says one of the ways he shakes off his doubts is by moving forward in spite of them. He said drinking also works. As someone who has experimented extensively…

  • Zen and the Art of Revision

    My friend Andrew and I had an interesting conversation yesterday about revision, conflict, the Pope and swords. He really put me straight about all the angst I’ve been going through re: revision. I don’t mean that to sound like he was all “Cindy, you idiot, do this, not that.” Not at all. But in his…

  • Talent

    Traditional wisdom says to be a writer you need luck, persistence and talent. I don’t like thinking about luck, because that one’s out of my control. I know I’m persistent; people who aren’t don’t stick with writing, or anything else, for long. Talent’s the big one. Talent is something you’re born with, it’s not something…

  • Getting Ugly

    Revision yesterday was hard. I actually picked up Writing the Breakout Novel Workbook, which I haven’t used in a while. I forgot how many good ideas Donald Maass has for revising. The one I used yesterday said to scratch an entire scene. So I did. It really had to go. After I put big Xs…

  • It’s Always the Conflict

    At least with me, anyway. I really should go ahead and make a sign in 18 point letters to paste to the front of my computer that says “It’s the conflict, honey.” Or rather, in most cases, the lack thereof. Revision would be much easier if I just remembered that little fact before sending something…