A friend, who is also a prolific reader, once shocked me. Talking about nonfiction books, he said: “I only read the first chapter. Then I page through the rest and stop to read anything that’s interesting.” My incredulous look encouraged him to explain. “Most nonfiction books pack their entire message into the first chapter. The […]
Tag: writing
Two weeks ago I listed my writing-related work for the week. It was exhaustive—both to live it and to list it. I ended by saying that I needed to cut some non-essential tasks from my life. Though I have a list of possible items to eliminate, I have yet to make any fundamental corrections. Another […]
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What Was Your Week Like?
Regular readers of this blog know that I write every day. Another goal I have is to spend weekday mornings writing and afternoons working (which involves some more writing). I seldom realize that goal, but I am moving in that direction. Then in the evenings, when my schedule permits, I work on my platform. Again, this […]
I meet many aspiring writers who want to jump right in and write a book. They have little experience, but they have an idea. They start typing away. Most give up soon and only a few finish. And those who do complete their journey, the result is seldom noteworthy. Why is that? The answer is […]
While watching TV this week, I was shocked at a promo for a new show. Their hook was identical to a book series I’ve been contemplating. Though I’m sure the show will go in a different direction than what I planned for my books, the premise is the same. The similarity is so great that […]
Writer’s block is not knowing what to write or being unable to write. Some writers become frustrated when I say I’ve never had writer’s block. Seriously, I haven’t. Some think I’m lying and others wonder if something’s wrong with them. Yes, there are times when writing is harder than others. There are times when the […]
Are you alliterate? I don’t mean literate (that you can read) or illiterate (that you can’t read) but alliterate (that you can use alliteration: the repetition of similar sounds at the beginning of words). Are you prone to exercise alliteration when you write? I am most fond of alliteration. I use it whenever possible; it […]
I recently looked at an article I wrote twenty years ago. I was shocked. Old School: First was the vocabulary I used. I was verbose, selecting big words when simpler ones would have sufficed. That was my style then, using word selection to sound intellectual; my thesaurus was my best friend, providing me with sophisticated […]
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Do. Not. Do. This.
I first saw this technique on a blog: Putting. A. Period. After. Every. Word. It was endearing—sort of. But when I saw it a second time, it annoyed me. Now I’m seeing it too often, even in published books. I suppose if you want to communicate attitude for a thirteen-year-old, angst-filled girl who is wrtting […]
Some writing, such as a blog post, article, or even the draft of a short story, generally takes one sitting. But what about longer works that take days, weeks, and months to complete? For these we have the challenge of stopping and then resuming our project. Returning to a long piece is challenging for many […]