Last week I talked about pushing the edges of my comfort zone. I’ll be the first to admit that it’s not a swift and glorious process. It can be painful and ugly until I reach a new plateau of comfort. And I give myself permission to find that new resting place and enjoy it for […]
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Why do They Read?
Do you know why your audience reads? What attracts them to your books, or if you’re not yet published, to the genre you write? Until you know the answers to those questions, you won’t know if you are meeting the needs of your readers. And only by delivering what your audience seeks will you attract […]
What Do You Read and How Do You Use It?
What have you been reading? And how often do you read? Although we sometimes wish it were possible, writers can’t just close themselves off from the world and only write. We need to fuel the old brain cells in order to continue creating our own stories. One way to do that is to read. To […]
Contests: The Value Beyond the Prize
Do you enter writing contests? I ask because writers have differing views on whether it’s of value to their career. The value of entering writing contests is far more significant than just trying to win a cash prize or bragging rights. Let me share what I’ve learned about entering contests. 1 – Contests are […]
wordhaus – New Short Story eZine Ready to Launch!
You may remember my posts, back in June, about the upcoming new ezine, wordhaus. Publisher, and blogger, Emily Wenstrom realized that many sources for short stories were available only to the small community of short story writers. Her personal desire for a constant supply of short stories in the genres of romance, mystery/thriller, and sci-fi/fantasy […]
Revisiting Goals: A Chance to Start Over
The mid-year mark came and went, almost without notice. But I caught it sneaking past from the corner of my eye, and realized it’s time to revisit my goals. I know you’re thinking I’m really overdoing it with the goals theme. But it’s important to your writing career to know where you stand. I’ll go […]
Book Review: House of Order by John Paul Jaramillo
There’s no beauty in this collection of short stories. Instead, they reveal a harsh people, living in a harsh environment. There’s nothing kind in the characters. Not in the way men treat women and boys, not in the way boys treat each other, and as they grow to manhood, the way they treat other people according […]
Keeping the Covenant: It Takes Work
There’s one reality we cannot repudiate. Without a steady diet of well-spun stories, without examples of both fine word craft and cringe-worthy phrases, we can’t understand what makes a story work. Glance over your bookshelves… you do have multiple shelves, don’t you? Which books do you hoard to savor multiple times? I’m betting they’re the […]
Step Away From The Keyboard: Read For The Sake Of Your Craft
I’m addicted – to reading, that is. I read an average of 500 books each year. Sometimes to the detriment of my own writing time. And to all the authors reading this, yes, I buy 95% of them new. A few are passed on to me from family and friends. No, not all those books are literary masterpieces. […]
Take a Book to Dinner: Today is World Book Day
This is one holiday I never have a problem celebrating. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve stopped in the middle of a busy day for a quick meal, and spent more time than I realized – because I was reading a book as I ate. Now, come on. Admit it. You’ve done […]