If a picture is worth a thousand words, why not use photos to inspire what you write? I’ve heard of fiction authors who tape a photo of their main character next to their computer as they write. The picture inspires their words and focuses on their character description. This seems like an intriguing idea, one […]
Wordsmiths need both knowledge and a growing word count to achieve writing success I’ve run into writers who work in a vacuum. Committed to writing all they do is write, but they don’t study the craft. They don’t read books or magazines about writing; they don’t take classes, attend workshops, or go to conferences; they […]
Now is the time to prepare for NaNoWriMo in November I’ve written nonfiction all of my adult life and recently began writing fiction for some variety. I started with a short story (mostly flash fiction: under 1,000 words) because it was faster to write and easier to experiment. And if it doesn’t work, I haven’t […]
When you want to advance as an author, the cost-effective solution is to hire outside help Tip #7 in my post “10 Tips to Improve as a Writer” is to not be afraid to pay for help. As a financially frugal person, this was a hard lesson for me to learn. When I entered the […]
Knowledge about writing has value only when we put it into action At the risk of offending all writers who are pursuing or want to pursue an MFA (Master of Fine Arts) degree in writing, let me share some concerns. Yes, I look at writers with MFA degrees with admiration, even though the eyes of […]
Writing is about focus and balance and obeying our muse For the first time (that I recall) I don’t want to write a post for this blog today. It’s not that I don’t want to write at all; it’s that I yearn to work on something else. This something else is a short story that […]
Tap into your subconscious to spur creativity and inspire great stories Last week I asked the question, “Do you dream of writing?” I talked about five fatal perspectives common to aspiring authors and ended with the admonition to stop dreaming about writing and just start doing it. However, today I’m going to encourage you to […]
People who say they will one day write seldom get around to it When I tell people I am a writer I get various responses. Aside from a blank look of incomprehension or the dreaded question of “Have you written anything I’ve heard of?” they usually tell me about their own writing aspirations. Here are […]
The amount of time required to rework a piece is often too great, and it’s best to let it go. I once read the debut novel by a YA author. I was quite taken by it. I loved her humor and writing style. I wanted more, but since it was her first published novel I […]
Celebrate the resurgence of short-form fiction this May: write, read, and share May is short story month. After falling out of favor for a time, interest in short-form fiction is rebounding. Fueled by e-readers and online publishing, the resilient short story has freed itself from the word count shackles of traditional book publishers. Length no […]