Reading can take you places without ever leaving the comfort of your home. You can travel forward or backward in time, sail the oceans, cross deserts, and scale mountains. Writers read with intention. We notice language, story, mechanics, and tone. Language The language used in science fiction is very different from the language used in romance novels. Get to know your genre by reading. A lot. No, I really mean it. The more you consume in your genre, the more natural the language becomes. Some books are written in a flowery style while others are lean and sparse. Some use similes, metaphors, or analogies where others use simple, plain language…
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Opportunity
I had the rare opportunity to attend an author presentation this week. Our local Deschutes Public Library System hosts renowned authors each winter. A pair of $25 tickets literally fell into my lap the day before Richard Russo spoke. Opportunity Knocks A friend of a friend couldn’t use their tickets so in a roundabout way they were passed on to me. I snapped them up and invited my writerly friend and critique partner to share in my good fortune. Richard Russo is a Pulitzer Prize winning author. So it’s a big deal. An evening with Mr. Russo We settled in for an entertaining presentation. Mr. Russo began with a standard…
