Charles Swift's Blog

I'm pleased to announce that The Massachusetts Review is going to publish my short story, "Gray Noise." They notified me of their interest this past Tuesday (May 26th) and sent me the contract to sign the following day. My story will appear in their Fall issue (available in September). From their website:

...The Massachusetts Review is one of the nation’s leading literary magazines, distinctive in joining the highest level of artistic concern with pressing public issues. AsThe New York Timeso...

As you can imagine, book reviews are the lifeblood for authors. Few things can be as helpful as a good book review.

"Show, don't tell."

That's classic advice for creative writers. It's better toshow a character being angry, for example, than totell the reader that the character is angry.

Well, I'm going to give that a try and show you one of my favorite books.

This clip brings to life the power of poetry, even today. It's clear how much this poem means to this man--especially when he takes his eyes off the book and recites from heart.

Some people steer clear of fiction, preferring to read real books like history, biography, and social commentary. Sometimes they’ll say that fiction is an escape they don’t need. What I can’t figure out is what makes them think it’s an escape?

When you think back to your best times as a student learning in school, do you remember teachers, or information?

There may be particular memories of learning a skill or a fact new to you that excited you as a student. But my guess is such a memory is more often than not tied to a specific teacher. We seem to be prone to talk about our favorite teachers. And, when we do speak of a favorite subject, it’s highly likely that closely connected to that subject is a favorite teacher.

One of the first questions an author hears: “Where did you get your idea for your book?” It’s a great question. Where does an author get his or her idea—an idea that can sustain a novel for tens of thousands of words?

Not too long ago, author Neil Gaiman wrote the introduction to the 60th anniversary edition of Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451. In it, he shares some insights into at least some of the places many authors find their ideas:

My son, Jeff, has had this great idea to get the word out aboutThe Newman Resident. Check it out:

Every writer hopes for a great review from Kirkus Reviews. We’re not just talking about some stroke of the ego here (though that never hurts); a good review can mean a lot for the future of the book.

I’ve been really excited—and grateful—for the responseThe Newman Residenthas received. It’s always fun to hear someone who has read your book say they like it, of course, but it’s been especially rewarding to learn how people have been affected by the book. Readers have talked about being so caught up by the story that they couldn’t put the book down. How it made them think about some big issues. How frustrated they got when certain characters wouldn’t act the way the readerknewthey should ac...