This short essay about writing my first libretto appeared in Lit Hub on March 28th, 2017. http://lithub.com/tag/harriet-scott-chessman/ … [Read more...]
Discovering your characters
How do you discover who your primary character(s) will be, in a story? Often, for me, the character comes first -- I see her or him, leaning against a counter, or walking with a friend on a golf course, or chasing after a child, and the story comes to me through the character. … [Read more...]
Listening for your Reader
This morning, as I contemplate the publication of a new novel -- something I'm so happy about -- I am aware of how worried I am too. Ach! I am sure a lot of writers worry about how a new book will be received. You feel lucky to have had the chance to write it, and to have … [Read more...]
The luscious, sensual world
How do you slow down, and live in this crazy world? I think poets of haiku for centuries have discovered ways of doing this. One inspiration: the glorious picture book by Tim Myers (illustrated by Oki S. Han), Basho and the Fox. Here is Basho: "With the scent of … [Read more...]
On writing for children
The genre of children's picture books remains the field I love most in all of literature -- and, as any writer for this age group will tell you, it looks easy, but is actually . . . well, kind of impossible. Maybe the first step is to lighten one's load of all that being a … [Read more...]