A friend asked what to look for in finding someone to critique her work. If you are looking for feedback on bits and pieces of your work in progress (WIP) or various writings, most established critique groups should be a fine fit. However, critique groups are not well suited to provide a critical review of […]
Category: Writing and Publishing
Writing and publishing articles by author Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD
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My First Poetry Contest
A couple of weeks ago, I did something I never expected I would do. I impulsively entered a poetry contest. Yep, that’s correct. A decidedly non-poet entered a poetry contest. One of the blogs I follow (and highly recommend for all writers) is Rachelle Gardner‘s. On March 16 Rachelle posted a quick haiku writing contest […]
Part of the writers gig is public speaking. You may aspire to this or you may shun it, but regardless, you the author will upon occasion be asked to make an oral presentation. When you do, be sure to record it. Just as you need to save everything you write and keep all your edits, […]
Last week I shared my dismay over not saving all of my past work. Our past writing has potential value—be it for personal edification or for future projects—but in order to tap that value, we need to keep it. Taking that thought one step further, I also see the need to save our writing that […]
It’s disconcerting to admit, but I’ve been writing for 40 years. (Would you believe me if I said I started at birth? I didn’t think so.) Much of my early work has been forever lost. This includes school assignments, teenage angst-poetry, and short stories. While there would not be much of worth in that batch—and […]
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Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss
Yesterday, March 2, was Dr. Seuss’s birthday. His full name was Theodor Seuss Geisel. He was born in 1904. Dr. was part of his pen name and not an actual credential. But when you’re writing children’s books, is a Ph.D. really needed? Dr. Seuss’s work is timeless, capturing the hearts and imagination of each successive […]
Charles Dickens was born February 7, 1812. This month marks his 200th birthday. One of his most popular books—and my favorite—is A Christmas Carol. It has been loved by generations and made into many a movie. I recently heard a radio segment about Dickens. NPR reported that in 1843 he wrote A Christmas Carol in […]
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The Art of Writing Reviews
My last two posts shared my efforts at writing movie reviews and book reviews. This begs the question of how to write an appropriate review. Unfortunately, there is no universally agreed-upon set of rules. What one person advocates, another dismisses. What one reviewer says to never do, the next one does. Since the “experts” don’t […]
Last week I shared my foray into writing movie reviews. It wasn’t long before I began penning book reviews as well. However, unlike my short-lived tenure writing movie reviews, book reviewing is a practice that has continued. So far I’ve written 53 (it takes longer to read a book, so the numbers accumulate slower.) The […]
I’m a bit of a movie buff, enjoying most genres and all eras. Some might say that I watch too many movies (I’ve rated 2,336 of them on Netflix)—or perhaps that I watch too many movies that most would skip. For a time a long time, I resisted combining my love for movies with my […]