He did a masterful job of taping off the project area and carefully applying the dark turquoise grout. Gently removing the taped plastic from the edge of his working area he moved on to the next section, content with the first finished block of tiles. And that’s when he saw it. Either the grout was […]
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Time to Edit: Oh, the Joy!
My friend Emily Rattray Wenstrom recently wrote about her editing process. She described the first draft as the bones of her story, and later versions as being fleshed out and plumped up. I loved her description of discovering her characters and her setting anew as she began her first edit. That perfectly describes how I […]
Stop Writing
I recently read a post by Dr. Steven Farmer in which he talked about taking his niece to acting lessons. While he waited, his interest was piqued by a comment the instructor made to the children and teens in the class. “Stop acting.” Dr. Farmer understood what the man was telling the students. The man […]
‘Tis the Season to Collect Story Ideas
This time of year is a gift for writers. How so, you ask. Look around and really see everything that’s happening during the holiday season. Family get-togethers, family feuds, people doing crazy things in the name of celebration, heart-touching moments, can’t-believe-he-did-that moments. They’re all there for the remembering. Were you one of the millions who […]
Give Thanks to be a Writer
There’s only one day each year marked on the calendar for giving thanks. How about we spend a few hours appreciating the wonderful opportunities writing brings to our lives? All who take pen in hand, or set fingers to keyboard, have something to celebrate. Not everyone has been blessed with the itch of inspiration that […]
Editing: What’s the Magic Number?
You’ve been writing for hours. Is it time to edit? Maybe. It depends on what type of editing you’re thinking of implementing. Do you find it helps you refocus the direction of your story to stop at the end of the day and spend some time doing a light edit of the pages you’ve just […]
Day Eleven – When De-Clutter Gets In The Way of De-Writing
Jeff Goins tells me that my next step on the road to becoming a Master Writer is to declutter. Ouch! I searched for a while, but didn’t find the camera he must have installed in my office. I’m a visual person, with memory problems from a blow to the head. The clutter around me is […]
Day Seven – Perfection Can’t Make It: Just Start
I was just sittin’ ‘round waitin’ for Perfection to show up and make my writin’ glow. You know what I mean? And I’d been waitin’ quite a spell, let me tell you, so I moved from the office chair to the sofa, and back again. A few times. Since I was back at the desk, […]
Revealing Ourselves: Writers Take Risks
So, I didn’t win, or even place, in Jeff’s Goins’ You Are a Writer contest. But that doesn’t matter. What matters is that I was one of 138 writers who publicly stood up and declared our innermost identities. Isn’t that the most important thing? That we claim our talents and make use of them – […]
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 […]