Celebrate Words on Dictionary Day

I hope you’ve got a yummy cake mix in the pantry.  You can stay up late and bake it, because tomorrow we’ll be celebrating Dictionary Day. If you’re a writer, you’re a lover of words.  In all their possible arrangements. I’m enjoying a mental image of Marilyn Monroe performing her “Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend” number. […]

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 […]

Day Eight – Build a Solid Home for Your Words

It takes more than two-by-fours or bricks to build a house.  Just as it takes more than a dictionary full of words to build a story.  Before a house can be built, someone has a plan for what it will look like and what it will contain.  Before a story can be told, a writer has a plan […]

Day Six – Steal What You Need: Honestly, of Course

Not what you were expecting, is it?  Steal what you need?  Isn’t that wrong, in every way? It depends on what you’re stealing, how and why. There are three reasons stealing makes sense for a writer.  And they’re entirely legal.   There’s not enough time in your day to write. At least that’s what you declare […]

Making Word Music: Practice Your Way to Perfection

Yesterday I practiced writing.  Today I am practicing writing.  Tomorrow I will practice writing. Are you seeing a pattern here?  Practice is a repeated action.  The practitioner repeats the action because he is attempting to acquire proficiency. When I was young(er), I played the organ, and later the piano.  But I only played after minutes, […]