It’s almost summer (officially), the year is almost half way done so it’s time to look at the goals I’ve set for the year. One thing I struggle with is getting back to the mysteries I started and never finished. I get busy with other writing, teaching, tutoring…okay, it’s no excuse. This week something…
Tag: authorship
Hi Susan-Dead End Dialogue
The Hi Susan letters are filling my e-mail so let’s dive into another one. This was sent by Ashley who wrote- I had a bunch of beta readers look at my manuscript and each person had the same comment, my dialogue stinks. Is there anyway I can improve that skill? Absolutely, anything that’s your Achilles’…
Monday Motivation-Begin
I like this quote because it reminds me that lots of people say they’re going to do something toward living their dream but talking is about as far as they get. Don’t be that person. Live your dream, and as this mug says, begin…begin your story today.
The Most Dangerous Writing App
Madeline McEwen is back as this week’s guest blogger and she has news (and a great cartoon drawing), about a new writing app… I subscribe to The Fussy Librarian’s blog which is where I heard about a terrifying new development for writers called the most dangerous writing app This fiendish app provides a writing window [a…
Wednesday Writing and Journal Prompts-Week One
I said we’d try something a little different for June, July, and August. You can see use the prompts for stories, or if you prefer, something to journal about. Over the years, I’ve kept a story journal off and on. When I’ve journaled every day, even if it’s the skeleton of something that could…
Hi Susan-Real People as Characters?
The Hi Susan e-mails are piling up so I thought I’d answer one today. Jenny asked the following- Is it okay to use real people as characters in your story? While you want all your characters to be appear as close to real life people as possible, portraying someone that a real life person could recognize as…
Monday Motivation-Keep Your Eye on the Prize
Sometimes writing is like training for a marathon, all work, all sweat, sometimes all pain (yes, those rejections). I found what helped me through all that was keeping my eye on the prize. That prize being, getting published, seeing your story in print, and sharing your words with the world. Each time you sit down to…
Friday Ramblings From An Author-A Day Off From Work Rounds Out May
The week begin with a day off from work and ends that way too. The sun is shining and I’m writing this Ramblings earlier than normal so, yes you’ve probably guess it, I can head outside. The May boot camp ended yesterday. Looks like one class…getting ready for contests and conferences will be canceled…
Friday Ramblings From An Author-Coyote, Deer, and A Duck
My backyard is a constant source of animal sightings. This morning while enjoying my morning cup of tea, I spotted a coyote, lunch time it was two deer, and mid-afternoon a duck. Maybe I should start including them in my stories. How about you? Seen anything that’s later become a story or part of a story?…
The Writing Monster
Here’s today’s Thursday guest blogger, Mageela Troche telling us how to overcome fear in writing… There is much to a writer’s life. Writing, revising, submitting, publishing, social media, publicity and us writers have to do it all over again. One part of a writer’s life that can pull you into a deep hole has nothing…