smeltzmailJun 16, 20161 minAuthenticity: Perfecting the RecipeMy fiction students and I have spent a healthy amount of time talking about how to achieve authenticity in our work. The trick is not...
smeltzmailMay 14, 20162 minRejection Club: Join Your Favorite WritersI had a great week in terms of writing life—three rejections rolled in. Two I completely expected. I'd aimed high in sending a new story...
smeltzmailApr 13, 20162 minIn Search of Your Voice: Conquering One Grain of Sand at a TimeMy advanced fiction workshop class and I have been talking about voice a lot. Voice—that somewhat enigmatic characteristic of a work that...
smeltzmailMar 24, 20162 minWriter's Block's Kryptonite: Knowing Your ProcessIn a recent "Getting to Know Our Instructors" interview for WriterHouse, one of the questions was about writer's block, and if I had any...
smeltzmailFeb 27, 20161 min"The Fine Art of Goldfish" Takes FlightI'm super-psyched to report my short story, "The Fine Art of Goldfish" is out in Apeiron Review's Issue 10. Check it out on page 5 in the...
smeltzmailFeb 6, 20162 minWhy Movies from Books Often SuckWhile teaching this past week, my class engaged in an interesting conversation about description. Specifically, we discussed how the...
smeltzmailJan 13, 20161 minBook Review: The Invisible Bridge by Julie OrringerI first fell in love with Julie Orringer's work while in graduate school when I read How to Breathe Underwater. Ever since I read that...
smeltzmailSep 8, 20152 minWhen Trains Collide: Building a Compelling PlotUpon reaching page 100 in my novel draft, I realize that I know one of my trains really well. By train, I mean my protagonist. The other...
smeltzmailSep 3, 20152 minKeep Putting Words to PageWriting a difficult scene last night, I almost made myself physically ill. It was like method acting (or like I imagine method acting I...
smeltzmailAug 24, 20152 minPotatoes in Space: Publishing EvolutionThe man made me really, really care about taters. Now I am already a lover of potatoes, but it's kind of a generalized love—to quote...
smeltzmailAug 11, 20152 minWriterly Inspiration: Catching the BubblesMaking the decision to return to my more writerly way of life has prompted the most wonderful discussions with my friends and family, as...
smeltzmailAug 6, 20153 minSeeing All the Colorful PiecesToday was my dear Aunt Ruth's funeral. After a very rough two weeks, feeling exhausted and emotionally raw, something kicked in...
smeltzmailJul 30, 20152 min"Getting old is NOT for sissies"I have the privilege of being with a dear aunt as she goes through the final days of her life. She is currently in Hospice care, resting...
smeltzmailJul 22, 20151 minRead. Listen. Write. Repeat. Finding Inspiration in Others' WorkWhenever I'm in a really productive writing groove, I surround myself with inspirational creative outputs from others. I've been on a...
smeltzmailJul 16, 20153 minWhen Bizarre Rings the DoorbellMy doorbell rang today. It never rings. While working at a little kitchen nook on my computer, my cat Maisy-Mae curled up behind my...
smeltzmailJul 11, 20152 minLiterary Pilgrimage: Lucy Maud Montgomery's inspiration for Anne's Green GablesToday I visited the house that inspired L. M. Montgomery's Green Gables, home to the beloved character Anne Shirley. I'm in Canada for...
smeltzmailJul 10, 20151 minWriters Before the Interwebs Were HARD CORE!With as frequently as I find myself doing an internet search for information for my novel in progress, I realize writers years ago, as...
smeltzmailJul 8, 20151 minA New(ish) Coinage I Hope to Spread Via My Novel (and Everywhere)Be advised: adult language to ensue. Have you ever been stumped for just the apt word or phrase to describe a particularly bad situation?...
smeltzmailJul 7, 20151 minThis Little Writing Life of MineSo this is my new blog, from Kristie Smeltzer, aspiring writer. Here I'll chronicle writing adventures, misadventures, and stuff I find...