Picky! Picky!” wasn’t exactly a compliment when Mom aimed it at you at the dinner table. You were supposed to eat everything on the plate and have no preferences. But we writers can hardly be picky enough when it comes to choosing just the right word. It’s a primary duty of a prose author—let alone a poet—to expend some effort in finding the expression that captures exactly the image she wants to convey. The one that rolls most smoothly over … Read More »

Your story idea is well underway, and the characters are firmly set in your mind. Yikes! They’re all naked! Unless your story takes place in a nudist colony, you’ll need to clothe those bodies, and quick! When and What? When your story takes place has a significant bearing on what your characters wear. You won’t dress a medieval peasant woman in a flowing gown of silk or velvet when they would be wearing linen or wool. They couldn’t afford it, … Read More »

I generally do not write to specific forms, and always have to look up the “rules” for villanelles, Shakespearean Sonnets, sestinas, and the like. What I truly love is free verse. However, there are many times that working within a form is liberating in that you’ve already got a set of parameters you don’t have to worry about. And, sometimes, when you’re forced to conform to a certain structure the little creative geniuses in your brain run off into territory … Read More »

Yay! You came up with an awesome idea for a story! It’s been swirling around in your brain for months, growing in size and complexity, and it’s getting more and more insistent in its pleadings to be released onto the page. You finally comply and begin the process but find yourself frozen in front of the screen/paper. What happened? And, just as important, what can be done to jump-start the journey from brain to book? As much as I may … Read More »

When the first round of covid hit a couple of years ago, it seemed like everything stopped. And in that stoppage was the monthly critique group I’d been part of since 2001. During that hiatus I thought if I can just keep myself motivated—keep that little spark of inspiration which was usually fueled by the critique group—that would be wonderful. So, the Friday Follies were born. What it is It’s quick. It’s simple. We meet online for no more than … Read More »

Do you have an interest in writing for children? Do you dream up story ideas that would make great books for young readers? If so, it’s important to learn about the children’s market. Every author is familiar with genre, and most can easily identify their writing as nonfiction, realistic fiction, fantasy, historical, sci-fi, etc. However, in the children’s market, it’s important to also know about book categories. Children grow through stages of cognitive development, and at each stage, they change. … Read More »