Some writers friends and I talked about family stories, how we loved preserving the history, but how we had to fudge the facts so various family members wouldn't send a hit man after us. It is true that no man is the villain in his own story, nor any woman. It is also true that being labeled a colorful character is - to some people - the same as being labeled the … [Read more...] about Characters and how to provoke them by Lani Longshore
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California deadline dreaming by Lani Longshore
Writing on vacation is tricky - which is probably why I've always failed at it. I take notebooks, printed pages, a variety of pens (because having the right pen makes all the difference), check over the itinerary for "me time" when the rest of the family is golfing. Still, when the room is empty, so is my head. This vacation was no different, at least as far as my production … [Read more...] about California deadline dreaming by Lani Longshore
Learning to pitch by Paula Chinick
You've just completed a fabulous novel with characters that sizzle and a plot with just the right amount of twists and turns. Now comes that hard part, you have to pitch your story to an agent. The agent is that person who takes it to a publisher and turns it into a best seller where you make millions. Not so, ask the thousands of writers who are waiting to be published. I … [Read more...] about Learning to pitch by Paula Chinick
A writer’s view of organization by Lani Longshore
Deep in my heart, I know an organized person is a productive person. Putting things down instead of putting them away leads to chaos. Leaving notes scattered around the computer leads to frantic searches for that brilliant idea on character development, or the crucial next plot point that points the way to the perfect ending. Sometimes I think I am single-handedly supporting … [Read more...] about A writer’s view of organization by Lani Longshore
Writing’s sweet reward by Annette Langer
by Annette Langer During April-National Volunteers Month-the senior center holds its annual appreciation party. I'd begun volunteering alternate Fridays in the center's gift shop in exchange for selling my books. I probably wouldn't know many people at the party but decided to attend anyway-another book marketing opportunity! I arrived after the 6:30pm start, not wanting … [Read more...] about Writing’s sweet reward by Annette Langer
Miss Muffet, the web and me by Violet Carr Moore
The Mother Goose nursery rhyme of Little Miss Muffet, popular in the early twentieth century, was both delightful and frightening to me when I first heard it many years later. I imagined a little girl sitting on a stool, dipping a spoon into a bowl of something similar to homemade cottage cheese. My fear of spiders created a monstrous black villain half the size of the tiny … [Read more...] about Miss Muffet, the web and me by Violet Carr Moore
A rooster crows by Pat Coyle
I called Natalio in August Pine Ridge, Belize on New Year's Eve, 2009 to catch up on the Belize Open Source property and let him know I am coming in February. Natalio said Christmas had gone well for his family and we wished each other's families a good new year. "I just drove by the place." Natalio said. "I expect within an hour, David's crew will finish putting the wire on … [Read more...] about A rooster crows by Pat Coyle
November novelist by Violet Carr Moore
At midnight on Halloween, my fingers touch the home row keys of my computer, my eyes on the digital clock in the lower right of the screen. Wait, wait. Not yet. One more minute of ghosts and goblins. At 12:01 a.m. local time, November 1, I click the first keystrokes of a suspense novel that plunges me into the National Novel Writing Month annual contest. Often referred to as … [Read more...] about November novelist by Violet Carr Moore
