Notes on E Annie Proulx’s Annie Proulx’s is a great example of lyrical writing. While her writing might seem to violate conventional writing, her style always aims at getting to a deeper truth. Many years ago I attended a reading of published romance authors and unpublished authors. The published authors use lyrical writing judiciously. The…
Category Archives: Writing
Writing Advice from Elmore Leonard
Elmore Leonard is a prolific writer who has entertained us with more than forty novels, including , , , , and many more. Hollywood is an Elmore Leonard fan, and many of his books have been made into movies. Leonard began writing while still working in advertising. He published a short story in Argosy magazine…
Five Fiction Mistakes that Spell Rejection
Ask most fiction editors how to avoid rejection, and you’ll hear the same thing: Read the guidelines. Review the publication. Don’t send a science fiction story to a literary magazine, and vice versa. Don’t send a 10,000-word manuscript to a magazine that never publishes anything longer than 5,000 words. Spell check. Proofread. Check your grammar….
Notes on the Opening Page of The Casual Vacancy, a novel by J.K. Rowling
The Harry Potter novels are a marvel in the use of story mechanics to draw in and transport a story’s audience. These notes break down what J.K. Rowling does in her new novel, , to draw in and transport an audience. To begin… Sunday Which asks the question, what is special about this Sunday? Barry…
Typing Down and Dirty – Gettin’ ‘Er Done Fast, Gettin’ ‘Er Done Right
Something I’m often asked about is how I manage to write so quickly. I’m also often asked about how I manage to murder with a smile on my face, and why Honey Boo-Boo is so popular with the American public. Two of these questions are Deep Mysteries, only answerable by God and perhaps certain network…
Write Every Day
Writing is like any skill – it improves only with practice. The more you write, the better your chances of improvement. Be intentional with planning times for your writing – don’t try to just cram it in “when it suits” or when you are all caught up on everything else you need to do. Make…
Get Your Ebook Done
It seems that everyone is “thinking about” publishing a Kindle ebook, or they are “working on” one. But fewer people have actually finished and published their ebooks. Are you one of the people planning to write and publish an ebook? Maybe you started writing months ago, but you have put it aside and can’t seem…
Finding the Right Critique Group
As office manager of Willamette Writers, a non-profit writers group, I often get calls asking about critique groups. I advise people to think of them as coming in four types: Support Light Critique Heavy Critique & Wise Readers Support groups generally offer encouragement in writing or marketing, and little or no critique. Some support groups…
How Online Critiquing Can Help Your Writing
By its very nature, the Internet attracts writers-both good and bad. The result is a thriving on-line community dedicated to the art and craft of writing. One way to participate in this community is to become involved in a critique group. Such groups function much like traditional writer’s groups, with two main goals: To help…
Step Into the Winner’s Circle!
Wouldn’t you love to be known as an “award-winning writer”? The phrase has such a lovely ring to it — a cachet of success. You may imagine that only a fortunate few will ever claim it. Well, I have a little secret to share: It’s not that difficult. It takes only one win, one successful…
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