• writer, pen
    encouragement,  Uncategorized

    Rejection is Inevitable

    Whether you are pitching articles, fiction, or complete manuscripts, some degree of rejection is inevitable. Don’t get discouraged. You have something to say. It takes time to find the right market, agent, or publisher.  Rejections are an indicator that you are producing and submitting work. That’s a good thing. Submit Three months ago, I climbed aboard the submission merry-go-round. My manuscript was ready. I researched agents who would be a good fit, crafted a query letter and synopsis. I submitted to five agents the first week. Four the second. Five the third, and so on. Rejections trickled in. Waiting for an agent’s response is kind of like that Christmas Eve…

  • tool box, analogy, tools, word prompts, unfinished projects
    encouragement,  Uncategorized

    Unfinished Projects

    Today I want to talk about unfinished projects. While this blog is directed at writing projects, it can be applied to projects ranging from crafts to home improvement.. With three unfinished manuscripts, half a dozen unfinished short stories, and a pile of notes on projects in the development stage, I’m an expert on unfinished projects! The first step is to identify why you don’t finish your projects. Once you identify the why, you can tackle the how. The final step is to actually complete the work. In this post I will talk about the three barriers that prevent me from finishing a project: distraction, boredom, and fear. Distraction In a…

  • writing goals, road map
    Uncategorized,  writing exercise

    Road Map for Writing Goals

    It’s okay if you haven’t set your writing goals yet. Before you do, it’s important to take stock of your strengths and weaknesses. Once you have those nailed down, you will have a roadmap to improve your writing.  Inventory The first step is to inventory your skills and assign them a value of strong, medium, or weak. What do I mean? Look at the chart below:   Strong Medium weak Dialogue X     Grammar   X   Punctuation     X Character development   X   POV X     Word choice X     Voice   X     In this example, it is clear that improving punctuation…

  • audience, school, teacher, boss, enter writing contests
    encouragement,  how to

    Enter Writing Contests

    Beginning, emergent, and published writers should enter writing contests. No matter your experience, contests are a way to hone your skills. Beginning writers will benefit from attention to SPaG (spelling, punctuation and grammar rules). Emergent writers can focus on crafting an entry to meet the requirements of a specific contest. Published writers will produce the most polished work possible including elements of tension, conflict and character arc. Why Enter? Writers at all levels suffer from imposter syndrome. Entering a writing contest is a way to validate yourself as a writer. It’s a way of saying I can do this, I’m a writer, too. Contests come with expectations including quality, word…

  • Christmas Letter
    how to,  humor

    How to Write a Christmas Letter

    ‘Tis Christmas letter writing season. When holiday decorations pop up like mushrooms after a rain, you know it’s time to sharpen your pencils and replace your printer ink. Structure The first consideration for your annual Christmas letter is structure. Will you organize it by month? By family member? By uncomfortable obsession? Many Christmas letters highlight one activity or trip per month. One drawback of this approach is figuring out how to announce a change in relationship status. Would a casual mention of your ex’s new address under October highlights slip by unnoticed? Organizing by family member is a common strategy. As long as you have something nice to say about…

  • Thanksgiving, reflect on your blessings
    personal essay

    Thanksgiving Blessings

    Thanksgiving week is a time to show gratitude and reflect on all our blessings. The past couple of years have been challenging to say the least. In addition to pandemic restrictions that we all endured, I lost my mother and took a hiatus from writing.  My husband has stood by my side throughout these years of turmoil. For that I am grateful.      Family My first blessing is family. In Mom’s final days she was surrounded by her children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews. We had casual conversations, reliving childhood exploits and sharing long-held secrets all as Mom listened from her bed. We took turns holding her hand, stroking her hair,…

  • all dogs bark, voice
    Uncategorized,  writing craft

    All Dogs Bark

    Four dogs loped toward us. I walked along a country road with Dusty, my Husky Lab mix. Public lands spread out to the left, the back side of a rural neighborhood to the right. The four dogs looked friendly enough. I led Dusty down to the wire fence for a sociable sniff. The middle-sized dog suddenly lunged at the fence, finding an opening almost big enough to penetrate while barking fiercely. We backed up and continued along the road which paralleled the dogs’ enclosure. All four dogs continued to bark as they matched our progress along the fence. The largest dog, maybe seventy-five pounds, let out a single woof every…

  • Wired for story, language of experience, brain science
    Book review,  how to,  Uncategorized

    Language of experience

    Every once in a while, you come across a line so powerful it smacks you in the face. In the craft book, Wired for Story, the author Lisa Cron writes “Story is the language of experience.” Take a moment to absorb that. Good writing compels the reader to see, hear, taste, smell, and feel what the character does. In other words, the reader lives the words on the page. Limits Capturing the fictional character’s experience in words allows the reader to inhabit that character. Even readers limited by age, ability, and income can fall passionately in love, conquer mountain summits, and indulge themselves in luxuries they will never have in…

  • Bird by Bird, book review
    Book review,  Uncategorized

    Bird by Bird Review

    Recently my critique group decided we would benefit from reading books on writing. Our first selection was Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird, subtitled Some Instructions on Writing and Life. The book gets its name from an anecdote about her then ten-year-old brother. He was overwhelmed by a report on birds he had put off. It was due the next day, and he was in tears. Their father counseled him to prepare the report bird by bird, instead of worrying about the entire report.     Books on Writing I’m a pragmatist. When I read books on writing, I want step-by-step guides that will improve my writing. I want writing exercises; I…

  • empathy in writing, empathy
    Uncategorized,  writing craft

    Empathy in Writing

    What does empathy in writing look like? The readers see and hear what the character does, as a result readers also feel what the character feels. How do you as a writer achieve this? You have to know your character’s wants, needs, fears, and motivations inside and out. Empathy is the act of feeling what others feel. Empathy and Desire Every well-written character wants something. Your job is to convey that to your readers in a visceral way. Make your readers ache along with your character. As obstacles thwart your character’s desires, readers will slip into the character’s skin and experience pain and loss, love and longing as if they…