Writing Archives - Judy Goldman

Writing

Question for Writers: Nervous?

“Whenever something good happens to you regarding your writing, you get nervous,” my daughter tells me. She’s talking about when my work is accepted by…

JudyMay 26, 2017

Memoir Novel Writing

You Wrote WHAT About Me?

Back when Barnes & Noble sponsored a Discover Great New Writers program and displayed the books earning the prestigious designation on a table at the…

JudyMarch 14, 2017

Writing

Fabulous First Draft, Horrible First Draft

In love. Out of love. So it goes. We fall madly in love with our first draft. Star-eyed and amorous, we adore what we’ve just…

JudyJuly 12, 2016

Memoir Writing

Writing Memoir: What Does THIS Have to do With THAT?

I was held up at gunpoint at the dry cleaners. Anybody would agree that this is a shock to one’s system. But here’s what’s odd:…

JudyMay 18, 2016

Writing

Keep Your Reader Twitchy

You lived through it, that traumatic scene you're writing about in your memoir. When it was going on, maybe you closed your eyes during most…

JudyApril 12, 2016

Publishing Writing

Attention: Poor, Pathetic, Pitiful, Sensitive Writers

I set an all-time record not long ago. In a span of twenty minutes, I received three rejections. Two were no-thank-you’s in response to…

JudyDecember 14, 2015

Writing

Messy Writing

The concept of messy writing doesn’t make any sense at all for me, because I’m probably the world’s neatest person. My desk looks like I…

JudyNovember 18, 2015

Memoir Writing

Allowing Rough To Remain Rough

I know several writers who revise as they go. Their first draft is also their second and third. They don’t tackle Chapter Two until they…

JudyAugust 27, 2012

Memoir Writing

Then and Now

Maybe the hardest -- certainly the most important -- thing to learn about writing memoir: The then and now of it. When you’re going through…

JudyJuly 10, 2012

Publishing Writing

How to Get an Agent

My best advice for getting an agent doesn’t have anything to do with agents. It’s this: If you’re still writing your book, forget about agents.…

JudyJanuary 7, 2011