Category: writing
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Aspiring Authors: Quit “Aspiring” and Just Do It Already!
“So what do you want me to do?” I can hear you quip. “Get published? Just like that? Sorry, buddy, I’m trying, but it just […]
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Fired Up over Short Fiction
Camille LaGuire, the Daring Novelist, yesterday talked about her dare to publish short-fiction ebooks. She talks about novelettes that she had written, which no one […]
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Are You Really Ready to Indie Publish?
Agent Kristin of the Pub Rants blog posted some of her comments on how hard it is to be self-published. Those are my words. She […]
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7 Ways to Eradicate the Copulative (How to Get Rid of the Verb “To Be”)
“To be, or not to be?” Not is usually the answer. Eliminate the verb “to be.” This basic writing and revision tip you’ll hear all […]
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Rejection Sucks
This morning, I replied to Sarah Allen’s latest post, about how very many editors have been rejecting her stories: I have been telling myself for […]
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Not Taking Criticism So Seriously
The stories we write are part of us. Like children, we nurture them and raise them. We identify with them. Then we push them out […]
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11 Functions of Plot
I get the feeling that some critics vest too much importance in plot. They have a hundred criteria they use to disqualify a story. Is […]
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What Is Character?
(I extracted this post from an upcoming free ebook Character Fiction 101: How to Write Fictional Characters and Character Stories.) When I first started writing […]
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10 Steps to Punch Up Your Prose
If you read a lot, you’ve probably read at least one author you admire. Her words seem to flow through your heart like a river. […]
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Metaphor in Stories: the Lake, the Void, and the Skating Rink
Over the past weeks here in New England, we’ve been inundated with snow. And between snowstorms, the air turns bitterly cold, as sub-freezing air blasts […]
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