Writers are a self-reliant lot. We have to be. We think, plan, craft and write in isolation. And even when we get guidance from an editor or read ‘n critique group it’s still our final decision, made in isolation, as how (or if) we will follow that advice. And writers...
I’ve written three complete novels— but ask me to write a short story or a poem and I freeze in fear. Even my letters to friends (when we used to all write letters) were so long people called them novels. There is a comfort level for me in having the time to spin out...
I recently read a blog post by Kristen Lamb It made me shout out OOHYA and do a fist pump. The Topic of Her Blog? Good Girls Don’t Become Best-Sellers—Channeling Your Inner “Bad Girl” to Reach Your Dreams. Among the many lessons in this post, she discusses how we can...
I know a writer who is fighting cancer right now…again. I’m sure when he received the diagnosis he had a moment of WTH. After all, he’d already fought and beat it once–and isn’t once enough in a lifetime? But true to his character he didn’t give up, he’s pissed and...
Good Critiques can be Valuable Instruments in Our Writing Toolbox. We become much too close to our own work to be able to see the flaws. Plus we have the entire world and story in our head. We cannot possibly see it the way our readers (who do not know the story) will...
Being outside in nature is the most basic part of who I am. Besides gaining knowledge about wildlife, I learn lessons about who I am, and surprise myself about what I am capable of achieving. Nature continually inspires me. It is a part of all my writings, no matter the genre or subject matter.