Ah! That great feeling when we discover a new passion is awesome. We launch ourselves into research mode. Some of us before we take up the doing of our new obsession, some of us after we’ve gotten a taste of it. Being in thrall with writing can be as much a hindrance as a help. How long have you been dabbling? Are you stuck in learning mode? If You Haven’t Started Writing Yet… …you might be stuck in learning mode. … Read More »

There are those who say it’s bad manners to take a bite of a chocolate candy and put it back in the box. I would respond by buying them their own box, because those partially eaten chocolates have a role to play when it comes to my writing. Sure, there might be a guide on the inside cover, but that takes the adventure and excitement away from what I might be sinking my teeth into. I try to ignore it. … Read More »

I admit it. I’m hooked on mysteries. It started when I was a kid—lying on the couch with my grandmother’s quilt pulled up to my chin—reading Nancy Drew stories. Not much has changed over the years. Like every Agatha Christie junkie, I love deciphering a whodunit, especially mysteries I watch on the MHz network. Reader alert: if you don’t like following sub-titles in most of the shows, skip this channel. One of my favorite MHz series is Edderkoppen, Danish for … Read More »

It’s easy to hope that your beloved book will get five out of five stars from everyone who reads it. A rating of less than five stars can feel like a bit of an emotional blow, but it’s not all bad. Browsers on Amazon and elsewhere may be suspicious of books that have all five star reviews. They assume it’s mostly the writer’s friends and relatives or paid reviewers. Thus, a four-star review is terrific because it lends authenticity to … Read More »

The tug of commitment to work, family, and future goals is relentless. We set boundaries or rules for ourselves to protect our writing time, but still watch that time fritter away when other tasks pop up that demand, or distract, our attention. Here are five strategies to keep your writing time intact. Change Your Mindset One of the greatest things we can do as writers is value our desire, and sometimes need, to write. Sit quietly for fifteen minutes without … Read More »

Valentine’s Day has come and gone, its annual rites pointing us to the coming Spring, that glorious season when birds sing and bees hum, amorous glances are exchanged, and love and romance lilt delicately in the air. Wait a second. Let’s think about the word “romance.” As analytical writers consumed with the meanings of words, why do we call things about love romantic? Like most good stories, it’s an unusual, twisty tale. The secret is in the root of the … Read More »