A few weeks ago, I attended the San Diego Writers Conference, sponsored annually by San Diego State University. It was my second time at this event (here are my takeaways from last year’s event) so I knew it would be cerebral, well-worth the time and money, leave me motivated to get back into the trenches with …
Oct. 6th, 2016 is National Poetry Day in the UK (America celebrates Poetry Month in April so I may be back on this topic then). I don’t write poetry. You can see in this list of how-to-write-poetry tips why. In short, it requires too much thought for my brain–you have to put so much meaning …
I just finished the last of Steve Hamilton’s acclaimed ten-book Alex McNight series about former minor league baseball player and scarred ex-Detroit cop-turned [almost] hermit, struggling to survive the drama and disasters life throws at him. I discovered this author through an article in the Wall Street Journal chronicling his break-up with long-time publisher St. …
It’s summer, time for writers to recharge our cerebral batteries. That could mean reading, going on field trips, spending time with online PLNs, or taking calls from family members who usually end up at voice mail. For many, it means attending conferences like Writers Digest Conference August 12-14 and the Writers’ Police Academy August 11-14 (this …
I confess, I like the Twitter approach to writing. It’s pithy, cogent, brief, with headlines that stick. I don’t always believe them, but am often entertained. And the posters–love them. Getting quickly-consumed tips from Twitter that inspire as I start my daily writing seems to be a natural, especially when Tweeple include images (which I …
Tech Tips for Writers is an (almost) weekly post on overcoming Tech Dread. I’ll cover issues that friends, both real-time and virtual, have shared. Feel free to post a comment about a question you have. I’ll cover it in a future Tip. Q: I’m paranoid of losing lesson plans, report card comments, and other school work. …
For the next few months, weekly writing tips will include word choice suggestions. That includes: colorful and original descriptions pithy words and phrases picture nouns and action verbs writing that draws a reader in and addicts them to your voice I keep a collection of descriptions that have pulled me into the books. I’m fascinated how …
Life is hard, but help is all around us. The trick is to take your learning where you can find it. In my case, as a technology teacher, it‘s from computers. Here are ten lessons I learned from my computer. The first four, I’ve shared before. The last six I’ve experienced first hand over the past …
I don’t get horror stories. Who chooses to be scared stupid? Is that uplifting or do you learn to solve life’s problems better by doing it while your hair’s on fire? I’ll read chick lit over horror any day of the week. But lots of people disagree with me. I went in search of why …
Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card My rating: 5 of 5 stars Guest Blogger: Corporal Murray Ender’s Game, a novel written by Orson Scott Card decades ago, remains popular today due to the ability of the author and the fact that it addresses several issues that are relevant today. It focuses on the evolution of …
When you read your story, does it sound off, maybe you can’t quite put your finger on it, but you know you’ve done something wrong? Sometimes–maybe even lots of times–there are simple fixes. These writer’s tips will come at you once a week, giving you plenty of time to go through your story and make …
A while ago, I wrote a post about what I’d wished I’d known before I started blogging. You can read the article here; I’ll summarize the six gold nuggets for new bloggers: only reblog 10% of someone else’s post. hot links are bad. it takes a long time to write a post I need to …
This is inspired by Jennifer Cohen over at Forbes who wrote a wonderful article on “5 Things Super Successful People Do Before 8am” (few of which I did, though I can claim #5). She includes chores like exercise, eat a healthy breakfast, map out the day–all great ideas, but not pithy enough for the average …
When I write, I have no control over when I will need to research and when I’ll write-write-write. And if I need to search for detail, there’s no telling how long it’ll take. I’ve been known to spend a week–ten days–uncovering the information my story requires. I don’t know what it is until I find …
I didn’t know who David Gerrold was, but I sure as heck knew what he wrote. David Gerrold wrote over 50 books, several hundred articles and columns, and over a dozen television episodes for various Star Trek series, but the only one that matters is the amazing Trouble With Tribbles (reprised in the last Star …
I’m reposting this from Today’s Author, for anyone who didn’t read it there: My efriend, Kirk Allmond, had a hilarious run down of what NOT to say to a writer. Well, they were all true, but I still couldn’t stop laughing. Truisms like, “Leave a writer alone when they’re writing. You have no idea how …
When you read your story, does it sound off, maybe you can’t quite put your finger on it, but you know you’ve done something wrong? Sometimes–maybe even lots of times–there are simple fixes. These writer’s tips will come at you once a week, giving you plenty of time to go through your story and make …
Bunyoro: An African Kingdom by John Beattie My rating: 4 of 5 stars View all my book reviews Man’s path from paleo-history is a fascinating study. Since our records of that era is confined to rocks and natural artifacts, those like me who want to understand what man was like in that time must extrapolate …
Starting my blog, I thought was the hard part. That first post–putting myself on the line, ignoring that I had no hits, wanting to approve comments from spammers because that would look like someone loved me. The second post was easier and so it went. But somewhere around the twentieth post, I figured out that …
I went to my bi-weekly writer’s critique group last night. We get submittals ahead of time, gather our thoughts and comments, and then each of us gets 5 minutes during the meeting to share our suggestions. This week, we were reviewing the work of one of my favorite group authors–we’ll call her Mari. She is …
I really struggled with this title. The post isn’t about writing comedy. That’s a useful genre, but one not particularly suited to novels. I think of comedy writers as working for the Letterman Show or a politician as a speech writer. Maybe a motivational speaker’s assistant. You think those are odd choices? Not really. Humor …
When I discovered Tony Hillerman, I thought I’d gone to reader heaven. He’s exactly what I love about an atmospheric book–he carries me away to an alternate world, lets me know that I’m not the only one who struggles with my foibles, and teaches me about culture in a non-narrative way. I quickly finished his … Continue reading
There are lots of free survey and polling sites (two popular options are PollDaddy and Survey Monkey), but often they limit the number of surveys you can create or how many questions you can include without ‘leveling up’ to a premium version. Among the writers I know who are always looking for ways to save their … Continue reading
I received two of the three in the Jon Reznick series from Netgalley. Jon Reznick is a former Delta warrior, now a “ghost” employed by the American government as a legal assassin who takes his orders from shadowy handlers that rarely support him if efforts go awry. He was their plausible deniability, with no direct … Continue reading
Worldbuilding (which I’ve also seen written as ‘world-building’ and ‘world building’) is the process of creating an alternate world that is believable, agile to the needs of the plot and characters, and authentic. It is present in most fiction but takes pride of place in fantasy and sci-fi. Through my Indie reading, I’ve discovered several … Continue reading
Here are three more great books available (for free) through NetGalley: Testimony — from the king of courtroom drama, this one is a little different. Hunting Hour — a working dog makes all the difference in saving the life of a kidnapped girl Man Overboard — how does a hacker convince a man who has everything … Continue reading
This post is for Alex Cavanaugh’s Insecure Writers Support Group (click the link for details on what that means and how to join. You will also find a list of bloggers signed up to the challenge that are worth checking out. The first Wednesday of every month, we all post our thoughts, fears or words … Continue reading
It’s America’s birthday and I’m celebrating. My Army Sergeant son is visiting, in preparation for going to Japan–Okinawa. My Navy Lieutenant daughter’s still in the DC area but moving on to a new job with the Navy. Usually she calls 4-7 times a week. Soon, it will be much less. Sigh. I’m here, thanking both … Continue reading
My writing PLN (Professional Learning Network) pretty much revolves around blogs and the authors who share their insights and advice through the online blogs. When I have a question, I often go there first, before digging through my shelves of self-help writing books. Along the way, I’ve read many of their books. Here, I want … Continue reading
No one disagrees with the importance of the visual in communicating. The problem usually is creating it. Most writers are great at wordsmithing, but not so good at matching colors, picking fonts and font sizes, and then laying everything out artistically. It’s much easier to leave the artistry for the artists. When Microsoft Publisher came … Continue reading
My writing PLN (Professional Learning Network) pretty much revolves around blogs and the authors who share their insights and advice through the online blogs. When I have a question, I often go there first, before digging through my shelves of self-help writing books. Along the way, I’ve read many of their books. Here, I want … Continue reading
