Why Pen and Mirror?
Storytellers spend a lot of time working to hone their craft. This is good and important! Sometimes, though, in the ever-ending quest to master sentence flow, descriptive language, plot structure, dialogue, genre expectations, and more, we lose sight of what’s behind it all: the story itself. Sometimes, the story even stops being true.
The name Pen and Mirror reminds us that stories are made of how we write and what we reflect. I believe that every story should be true (yes, this includes fiction!), and this Substack is here to look at how stories can reflect that in their worldview, honesty, and execution.
Whether you’re a storyteller or just a story lover, welcome! I’m happy you stopped by and hope you’ll see something that makes you stick around.
Who is Elizabeth?
I’ve been a story lover ever since I was a toddler listening to my mom read me A Dragon in a Wagon by Jane Belk Moncure. The opening of the book tells us that a library full of books is a library full of “word windows,” each holding a special adventure, and as the main character stepped through that window into an adventure with a dragon, I believed every word of it.
That’s why I taught myself to read when I was four, carried as many books out of the library as I could hold as a kid, and wrote ongoing adventures, skits, and stories with my friends and cousins. It’s why I earned a degree focused on writing and editing, spent several years teaching teens to read and write critically and creatively, and now work as a developmental book editor, helping authors improve in their craft on their journeys toward publication.
It’s been three decades, but I still love stories as much as I did when I first climbed through that word window to hop into a wagon with a dragon. My heart is always happy when I find a story that rings true, becoming a part of my own story. That’s the kind of story I dream of helping storytellers create and share with the world—and the kind of stories I’m writing to share with the world one day as well.
When I’m not reading, writing, or editing, you’ll find me learning languages, gaming with friends, relaxing with family, enjoying a warm cup of tea, exploring Minnesota’s many parks, or making tasty messes in the kitchen.
Why subscribe?
A free subscription will give you full access to my weekly posts. If you like what you’re seeing and want to help support the future of Pen and Mirror (and receive additional monthly content as a bonus!), you can always upgrade to a paid subscription.
