Note: This was a children\’s story I wrote in my college creative writing class. I sent it to Ranger Rick and got some praise from the editor, but it was never published. At the time I could not see why, but when recently rereading it, I saw how in places the prose is choppy, and […]
The Monster Who Haunted by Lamplight (Revisited) Read More »
The early \”grade\” on my e-book is that it is interesting – but the language is “tentative.” I am currently having the manuscript for my e-book on writing edited. One of the criticisms the editor had made is that my tone, at times, sounded uncertain. In places, for example, where I could have said, “Keep
Sweeping its way through various cities in the deep south, the event was called “The Unchained Tour.” I went to see the performance at the showroom in Spartanburg, SC because my fantasy writing hero Neil Gaiman was speaking there. For any of you who are unaware of Neil Gaiman, he is an icon among fantasy
Neil Gaimon and the “Unchained Tour” Practice Simple Story-telling with Powerful Results Read More »
Many complain that in writing, there are too many rules. But to me, speaking has always seemed heavier with rules, many of them hidden and unknowable; at least in writing, I knew what they were. I could look at any grammar book and find them. The rules of speaking were always changing, according to circumstance.
Rebellion and Mastery in Writing and Speaking Read More »
I am pressed for time this week, so this may be the first of many shorter posts. However, it will give me a chance to share my limerick about a belly with identity issues. It goes like this: There once was a belly who triedTo turn herself into a sideTo make herself thinShe sucked her
Sharing a belly limerick Read More »
A grocery store is a place full of strangers. There is very little I can know about them just by looking. Nevertheless, to create convincing fictional characters, a grocery store is not a bad place to start – in particular, a shopping cart. Imagine: someone in line with me is unpacking a bottle of generic
Humanizing Fictional Characters – with a Grocery Cart Read More »
Thank you to everyone who has been reading this blog and made comments, shared it, or “liked” it on Facebook. (Is there a Facebook option, in which I can “like” likes?) I love the challenge of finding a new topic to write about every week; knowing you are reading what I write inspires me. However,
Thanks, “Passionate Reason” Readers Read More »
It begins in early childhood. A hesitation, an impulse to hide from strangers. Ducking behind furniture when company comes. Perhaps it is genetic, a survival trait, that long ago may have protected the young from wild, hungry predators. As the toddler grows, she learns a new word: “shy.” There is something in how the word
The Season of Militant Shyness Read More »
The Power of Point of View. Those words, which were the title of my new book, excited me. But when I opened it, the material, although useful, was dry and technical. I was disappointed. When I had seen the title, I had something else in mind – a memory. It started long ago with my
How My English Teacher Saved My Dog; the Power of Point of View Read More »
\”Gushy?” I say, and stare at him. “You thought I was being gushy?\” \”Only at first. But then I changed my mind.\”\”So what changed it?\”\”You read me the rest of the note.\”I take a deep breath. \”So let me get this straight. For the first two sentences, you thought I was gushy. Then you changed
Honesty and Emotional Excess in Writing Read More »
