Websites. We create them, nurture them, and sometimes want to kill them when something doesn’t work. I was trying to post a California Writers Club “Authors Spotlight” date to my website Events page, but the stupid site kept dropping the date. I tried everything I could think of, but the date just wouldn’t post. I finally gave up and called the dreaded Help Desk. (I hate Tech … [Read more...] about Tech Support by Annette Langer
Blog
Never and always by Violet Carr Moore
Sage advice to writers, “Never say never.” That prompts another never--never say always in a novel unless you can prove it. “She always washes her hair on Friday evening.” Oh? What about the Friday scene when the protagonist was hospitalized from a skiing accident? Every is another word to omit. “You can set your clock by my neighbor who brings in the newspaper every morning … [Read more...] about Never and always by Violet Carr Moore
Brainstorming by Lani Longshore
I brainstormed with Dan Casner about Robot Garden, specifically community groups that might want to play in a warehouse full of tools and people who know how to use them. Near the end of the conversation, I mentioned wanting to design a futuristic tank that I could make from fabric. That led to a discussion of a book I've got on the back burner until When Chenille Is Not Enough … [Read more...] about Brainstorming by Lani Longshore
PILZ: Sex, violence and naughty words by J. K. Royce
Writing PILZ with the door to my study closed didn’t prevent a nagging little harpy from whispering into my ear: “What is your mother going to say about those naughty words?. . . and the sex? My God, nice girls don’t portray things like that on paper. . . and the violence? Do you really need to describe the rape scene so graphically? Couldn’t you just allude to it?” While a … [Read more...] about PILZ: Sex, violence and naughty words by J. K. Royce
Writing around the holidays by Lani Longshore
I can't put off the holidays anymore. National Novel Writing Month is over, the Thanksgiving leftovers are gone, and my family is asking about the holiday baking. My daily to-do lists take up multiple pages. My manuscript sits on the edge of the desk, waiting for revisions. I made good progress over the last month, but there is more to accomplish. I could ask my family to give … [Read more...] about Writing around the holidays by Lani Longshore
Cyber Monday Hovercraft from home by Violet Carr Moore
A hovercraft, also known as an air-cushion vehicle (ACV), can travel over any terrain. You name it-dirt, water, mud, ice, water-it can hover in a stationary or mobile position. These hybrid vessels are operated by a pilot, not a captain like a marine vessel. An ACV functions by creating a cushion of high-pressure air between the hull of the vessel and the surface below … [Read more...] about Cyber Monday Hovercraft from home by Violet Carr Moore
Slogging through slue by Lani Longshore
I found a book titled 100 Words Almost Everyone Mixes Up or Mangles (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, from the editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries). Having a fondness for trivia, I bought the book. The words listed were all familiar to me. I was about to congratulate myself on paying attention in school when I reached the section on "slew", "slough", and "slue". Slew, a … [Read more...] about Slogging through slue by Lani Longshore
An extra hour to write by Violet Carr Moore
More than a dozen CWC Tri-Valley Branch members have taken the annual National Novel in a Month (NaNoWriMo) challenge. Cooking, house cleaning and yard work will be ignored. Laundry bins overflow. The trash begs to be taken out. Our fingers fly over computer keyboards toward a common goal—50,000 words by November 30. For the past four years I’ve begun my manuscript at one … [Read more...] about An extra hour to write by Violet Carr Moore
