by Barbara Kyle | Jul 22, 2021 | Uncategorised
I’m feeling pretty happy these days because I’ve just finished writing a new book, my twelfth novel. However, during the eighteen months it took to complete, there were days when the work was definitely not making me happy. Luckily, my career as a writer has taught me...
by Barbara Kyle | Jun 1, 2021 | Uncategorised
[Ralph Bruce illustration: “Sydney Carton” in A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens.] KILLING YOUR DARLINGS by Barbara Kyle Have you heard the phrase, “You’ve got to kill your darlings”? It comes from a 1916 book by Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch who...
by Barbara Kyle | Mar 20, 2021 | Uncategorised
Shakespeare was an actor. So was Dickens. In a way every writer is, because when we create stories we play all the roles inside our heads. It’s part of the joy of writing. Before becoming an author I enjoyed a twenty-year acting career and I’ve found many...
by Barbara Kyle | Jan 17, 2021 | Uncategorised
When I mentor writers, I find they often resist depicting the conflict in their stories. It’s as though they don’t want to see their characters suffer. While it may spring from a generous heart, it’s a misguided kindness. Avoiding conflict drains a story of tension....
by Barbara Kyle | Dec 10, 2020 | Uncategorised
The Top 5 Questions I Get Asked. Here are the five questions I’m asked most often when I mentor writers in my master classes. Maybe one of these issues is something you’ve been pondering, too. If so, I hope my answers will be a help. 1. What’s the...
