Are you stuck in a rut? Need some motivation and inspiration? Maybe this a great list of quotations from notable writers, artists, filmmakers, and others can help. This list comes from the good people at MoonLit Getaway literary magazine. Here are five of my favorites from that list (although I could have listed many more).
Don’t risk missing 100 percent of the shots you don’t take. Give this list a read.
Continue reading “Friday Five: inspirational quotes for writers and other humans”How powerful first lines can draw your reader into your story.
One lesson the professors at journalism school drilled into my head was the importance of crafting a compelling first paragraph (aka the lede in news parlance).
The opening paragraph is the most important element of your story. It must grab readers’ attention and get them to read more, so it must be finely crafted and honed to its sharpest possible point.
The same applies to more literary writing–whether a novel, a short story, or a creative nonfiction essay. These five opening sentences from some recent stories and essays do a good job of hooking the reader. Each example below comes from The Pushcart Prize XLIX: Best of the Small Presses 2025 Edition. And while there are other notable pieces I could have pulled from this anthology, I chose these five because they are great and because you can also read them online, for free.
Continue reading “Friday Five: grand openings”
Andrew Careaga 