David Given Schwarm

One of the best ways to learn to do something is to emulate those whose work you admire. The treat (and task) for today is to drop by the bookstore and pick up a novel by an author whose voice you’ve always loved. Read the first few pages of you purchase before you start writing,…

Demographers have been noting the decreasing size of families in industrialized nations for decades. They pin it on everything from rising education rates among women to the decrease in family famring. But I know the real culprit: With skyrocketing number of baby names to pick from, would-e parents avoid having children because they can’t decide…

One of my favorite books is called Rules of Thumb 2. The volume offers thousands of guidelines for any number of essential day-to-day activities, such as properly estimating a submerged crocodile’s length and surviving a pistol duel. The dueling hint was submitted by historian Jim Barber, who writes: “When dueling with firearms, always aim lower…

Writing a novel is like working with clay. You first create a rough shape, then massage that shape into something beautiful, such as an ashtray or a fearsome army of worms. Unlike potters, though, who can simply buy clay at the art supply store, novelists have to pull off the supernatural feat of creating their…

The first day. A blank page. And a slight panic about starting the book off on the right foot. But you know what? There are no wrong feet. Take a tip from freewheeling graphic design guru Bruce Mau on teh subject of beginnings: “Not knowing where to begin is a common for of paralysis. Begin…