Fiction or non-fiction, a time comes in every manuscript’s evolution when we, the writer, just want to know one thing. Is it working? Maybe we’re so far out to sea in a work that we can no longer see the shoreline. Perhaps we’ve sailed it harbor-to-harbor, maybe even twice, but still aren’t quite sure where the shoals lie. Or, the scariest possibility of all, there’s miles of smooth seas under the hull of our work and safe harbor in sight … Read More »

Do you feel overwhelmed as I often do by the swirl of writerly information? Where have you discovered sound writing advice? The best advice I ever received was NOT from a writer-focused resource. In tenth grade at James M. Bennett Sr. High, I joined our school’s first women’s track team and learned what it took to write. Mrs. Tucker, our physical education teacher, inspired enough of us wannabe female track stars to make up a real team. Heady with excitement, … Read More »

A core premise of the critique process is that we are making suggestions about the work, not evaluating the person who wrote it. Critiquing is already quite personal, in that we are telling a creative person that their creation has flaws. No one is eager to hear that. Add to that some critical remarks about the writer as a person and it becomes painful. It helps to avoid sentences that start with “you,” for two reasons. One, we aren’t supposed … Read More »

I’m spoiled as a writer. I’m so plugged into my technology that I never pay attention to it unless it stops working. That’s a situation I’m facing now, as the T, R, 5, and -(dash) key have all stopped working on my laptop. That probably means a $500 – $600 repair on a laptop that’s about six months from its “best by” date anyway, so I bought a rechargeable Bluetooth keyboard instead. That inspired me to take a look at … Read More »

We’ve blocked off our time and we’ve sat ourselves down and we’ve ignored the distractions of our day to get words on the page. But at some point, our enthusiasm winds down. We find ourselves grasping for the next paragraph and then the next line and then the next word, feeling as if our work is going nowhere. We’re lost. Our work has not only veered off the road of its through line, it isn’t even on the side road … Read More »

I just (figuratively) typed “The End” on the draft of a recently completed novella. It was a great experience, and I enjoyed every minute of the researching, writing, editing, and commiserating with my co-author. But it was done, and my brain needed to step away and take a well-deserved break. After the last read through (does the minor editing EVER end?), I saved the final version, closed the inspirational image on the screen that had filled in for one of … Read More »