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Kr​istie Smeltzer
Writer, writing coach, teacher
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Ready, Set, Go! Starting Your Stories
Nailing the beginning of our stories is key to hooking readers and keeping them turning the pages. But there's sooooo much we want...
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Sep 8, 20222 min read
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Happy News: When Our Work Surprises Us
The past couple months, I've been cheating on my main work in progress (a novel) by competing in a couple micro and flash fiction...
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Aug 15, 20223 min read
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The blog is back...
After a long loooooong hiatus, I'm kicking off this blog again. While there are several reasons behind it, probably the most important is...
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Aug 9, 20221 min read
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Authenticity: Perfecting the Recipe
My fiction students and I have spent a healthy amount of time talking about how to achieve authenticity in our work. The trick is not...
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Jun 16, 20161 min read
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Rejection Club: Join Your Favorite Writers
I 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...
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May 14, 20162 min read
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In Search of Your Voice: Conquering One Grain of Sand at a Time
My advanced fiction workshop class and I have been talking about voice a lot. Voice—that somewhat enigmatic characteristic of a work that...
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Apr 13, 20162 min read
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Writer's Block's Kryptonite: Knowing Your Process
In a recent "Getting to Know Our Instructors" interview for WriterHouse, one of the questions was about writer's block, and if I had any...
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Mar 24, 20162 min read
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"The Fine Art of Goldfish" Takes Flight
I'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...
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Feb 27, 20161 min read
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Why Movies from Books Often Suck
While teaching this past week, my class engaged in an interesting conversation about description. Specifically, we discussed how the...
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Feb 6, 20162 min read
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Book Review: The Invisible Bridge by Julie Orringer
I 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...
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Jan 13, 20161 min read
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When Trains Collide: Building a Compelling Plot
Upon 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...
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Sep 8, 20152 min read
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Keep Putting Words to Page
Writing a difficult scene last night, I almost made myself physically ill. It was like method acting (or like I imagine method acting I...
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Sep 3, 20152 min read
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Potatoes in Space: Publishing Evolution
The 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...
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Aug 24, 20152 min read
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Writerly Inspiration: Catching the Bubbles
Making the decision to return to my more writerly way of life has prompted the most wonderful discussions with my friends and family, as...
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Aug 11, 20152 min read
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Seeing All the Colorful Pieces
Today was my dear Aunt Ruth's funeral. After a very rough two weeks, feeling exhausted and emotionally raw, something kicked in...
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Aug 6, 20153 min read
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"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...
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Jul 30, 20152 min read
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Read. Listen. Write. Repeat. Finding Inspiration in Others' Work
Whenever I'm in a really productive writing groove, I surround myself with inspirational creative outputs from others. I've been on a...
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Jul 22, 20151 min read
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When Bizarre Rings the Doorbell
My doorbell rang today. It never rings. While working at a little kitchen nook on my computer, my cat Maisy-Mae curled up behind my...
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Jul 16, 20153 min read
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Literary Pilgrimage: Lucy Maud Montgomery's inspiration for Anne's Green Gables
Today I visited the house that inspired L. M. Montgomery's Green Gables, home to the beloved character Anne Shirley. I'm in Canada for...
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Jul 11, 20152 min read
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Writers 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...
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Jul 10, 20151 min read
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