Articles
Ninth Annual Great Books to Give…and Get
Books make great gifts! If you’ve got a long list of people to buy for this holiday season and no idea what to get them, here are a few suggestions for books I enjoyed this year.
To Prologue or Not to Prologue…
If you want to start a heated debate at your next writing group, ask if you should include a prologue in your novel. Many writers love prologues, but many readers (and therefore agents) aren’t keen on them. As with many things, there’s no right or wrong answer. Let’s take look at both sides.
Should You Participate in NaNoWriMo?
About this time every year, this question pops up in my inbox and through social media: should I participate in NaNoWriMo?
The Secret to Finding More Time to Write
If writing and mothering feel like an either/or proposition, you are not alone. Find guilt-free time to write with these tips.
How to Get the Most Out of Online Writing Courses
If you’re interested in taking an online writing course, but you’re a bit nervous, here are six tips to get the most from the experience.
Find Your Writer’s Voice
When I was a writing student, one of my professors said, “Once you find your voice, this story will really shine.” As if, like my house keys, I'd simply misplaced my voice and would find it again somewhere I least expected it like inside the freezer or behind a potted...
How to Overcome Writer’s Burnout
Last summer I'd just put the finishing touches on a short story when the idea for a new story was brewing. I was in the early planning stages, uncovering the characters and developing their stories. I had a solid plan of where the plot would take them. Then suddenly,...
Why “Show, Don’t Tell” Is All Wrong
If you've been writing for more than five minutes, you've heard this old saw: Show, don't tell. There is value in this message—whether you're writing a short story, novel or memoir. But I think the takeaway gets overpowered by the mantra. Let's dig into what it really...
Writing Exploration: Seeking Color
Color affects our mood. It is used in healing and therapy. It has different symbolic meanings in different cultures. We gravitate toward certain colors and shy away from others. Everything around us has a color and we’re often assigning value to it based on the color.
Nail the Ending: Dos and Don’ts for a Great Conclusion to Your Novel, Part 2
How do you wrap up a 300-page novel or memoir? It can be a daunting task. In the first part of this series, we reviewed the six styles of conclusions. These apply whether you're writing a novel, memoir or short story. No matter which option you choose, the ending...
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