The Daily Port of Call: February 21, 2014

Photo by Alexander Lvov/bigstockphoto.com

In today’s Daily Port of Call, you’ll find discussions of what books should be included in and excluded from the literary canon, how to trim unnecessary words, and snow writing.

Remember this article from Salon about what makes a book a classic? Flavorwire conducted its own investigation, asking critics, writers and publishing industry people which books should removed from and which should be included in the literary canon.

Here are tips for purging the fear that comes up during a writing project.

Does your story need a trim? Here are tips for rooting out unnecessary words.

Check out Beacon: A new writers’ platform sometimes called the “Netflix for journalism.”

New York author Shelley Jackson has been using snow to write a story.

Here are six tips for writing children’s picture books.

The Daily Port of Call: February 20, 2014

Photo by ALexander Lvov/Bigstockphoto.com

In today’s Daily Port of Call, you’ll find help for challenging character situations, how to make sure your adjectives are working for you, and a list of books you should read, if you want to.

“To be credible, characters must have flaws as well as strengths, just like real people. There is a tipping point for flaws, however.” How can you avoid creating a character that is unlikeable?

And on the subject of characters, how can you create characters with invisible disabilities?

“Adjectives are the main tool an author has to grab a reader. A well-chosen one can paint a scene with the utmost care, but one that is too vague can leave your readers feeling detached.” Are your adjectives working for you?

Children’s book author and illustrator Leo Lionni’s granddaughter shares the author’s views on creativity and the secret to great storytelling.

There are many lists of books that one should read. This list focuses on reading the books you discover, if you want to.

Here is an appreciation of short story writer Mavis Gallant, who died earlier this week.