Laura began writing slowly, carefully dipping a toe in creative waters after reading several books about the craft. Encouragement from Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird and Natalie Goldberg’s Writing Down the Bones lead her to face her computer sheepishly, and write a few very bad short stories she never let anyone read. Though she’d been writing marketing copy for years as a freelancer, she didn’t have the nerve to try fiction until a weekend class at the University of Iowa’s Writing Festival changed everything.
After that, Laura dove in and began writing her first novel, an upper-middle grade fantasy about two girls orphaned in their North Pole city of Borealistad. It’s an action-packed, dystopian take on the real lives of Santa’s elves, where sleighs fly across snow-dappled skies and citizens use their powers of enchantment to bring joy to humans throughout the Giving Season. That is, when they’re not busy fighting enchantment-sucking shapeshifters.
More workshops, too many how-to books, and countless revisions later, Fueltide is complete and looking for a publishing home. For now, Laura churns out query letters and critiques for fellow writers, while plotting Fueltide’s sequel and her next writing book purchase.
Laura’s Favorite Writing Books:
Bird by Bird, Anne Lamott
Writing Down the Bones, Natalie Goldberg
Stein on Writing, Sol Stein
On Writing, Stephen King
Style: Toward Clarity and Grace, Joseph M. Williams
Gotham Writers’ Workshop: Writing Fiction, Alexander Steele (Editor)
Naming the World: & Other Exercises for the Creative Writer, Bret Anthony Johnston (Editor)
You Can Write a Novel, James. V. Smith, Jr.
Characters & Viewpoint, Orson Scott Card
45 Master Characters, Victoria Lynn Schmidt
Scene & Structure, Jack M. Bickham
The Artist’s Way, Julia Cameron
How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy, Orson Scott Card
Proofreading Plain & Simple, Debra Hart May
The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Book Proposals and Query Letters, Marilyn Allen and Coleen O’Shea
Eats, Shoots & Leaves, Lynn Truss
Totally Weird and Wonderful Words (Not on writing, but close…and fun!), Erin McKean
