Whether or not I agree, I’m honored to be part of the conversation when you . . . Represent the opposition accurately (no straw men) Speak with confidence (no defensiveness) Address me as a peer (no talking down to the reader) Remain calm (no shrill crescendos) Treat me with respect (nothing uncharitable) Give me something […]
Author: Paul Santhouse
I am a follower of Jesus Christ. I’m also a husband, father, and grandpa. Since I spent four decades working with books, and I believe the local church is where we become the kind of people Jesus would be in our shoes, that's mostly what this blog is about.
Thanks for visiting.
Paul
100-Word Novels
There’s writing and there’s pruning. Both benefit from practice. Here’s a pruning exercise to hone your valuation of words. Tell a story in exactly one hundred words. You can condense a novel (Les Miserables!), render some portion of a larger story, or make it up. Just give it enough arc to satisfy the reader and […]
Editorial wisdom from the Chicago teachers’ strike
Amanda Ripley made this point in her WSJ piece from last Saturday: The all-important issue is not how easy it is to fire the worst teachers; it’s how to elevate the entire craft without going to war with the teachers. In her mind, both sides are crucial to the health of the system. Not unlike […]
Things you can’t say in words
As an author, the less you say, the better. Strunk and White ring this bell in Rule 17 — omit needless words. But what if your theme eludes description? Novelist Jennifer DuBois provides an example of what to do in her Word Craft column from last Saturday: In the middle of a novel about music […]
Seven Things I’ve Learned About Commuting
(1) If you work from home you have zero commuting costs. Or wardrobe costs. Or going-out-for-lunch costs. You also never leave work. (2) If you work a mile from home you can walk, ride your bike, drive, or take a longboard. Pretty nice. Also pretty easy to work evenings and weekends. (3) If you work […]
