So, Joanna wants to know how writing makes things possible? Well, duh, Joanna. What DOESN”T it make possible? (grin) Writing makes everything possible. For example: Writing down instructions on how to build things. Writing down instructions how to do things. Writing down lessons for children so they can learn. Writing…
You Can Lead a Dog to a Story…
You may think that, as the writer, when you tell a story or write an article, you are leading your readers exactly where you want them to go. But is that really true? Have you ever watched a dog out for a walk? The person walks along in a straight…
Really, It’s a Puzzle
It’s puzzling. One of my responsibilities at my day job is writing and designing the company newsletter. Since newsletters, even the best of them, can be boring, and I figured it couldn’t hurt to put something in each issue that clients would want to look at. A reason to open…
Wanted: Literary Agent of My Dreams
Wanted: A Literary Agent Who Will Love My Book as Much as I Do. I’ve tried those online dating services, like Writers Market.com, but still haven’t found The One yet. You know, the Literary Agent that will read my entire manuscript and be so enchanted that she or he will…
Review: Writer Mama
Title: Writer Mama: How to Raise a Writing Career Alongside Your Kids Author: Christina Katz Publisher: Writers Digest Books, 2009 I’ve had a copy of this book sitting next to my computer for months now because I wanted to write a review for you, but ironically, I’ve been too busy…
Where the Action Is
Do you prefer stories where the bulk of the action, the stuff that drives the story, is external to your main characters? Or do you prefer internal engines? Engines make a good metaphor, here. Imagine your story is a boat. You need to get it from point A to point…
Word Tailoring
I have a confession to make. I am BAD at being succinct. Short. To the point. Direct. No wasted syllables. See? I couldn’t even say that without extras! Now, is this a terrible flaw? No, not really. We have a running joke in my family that my father has to…
Shoot for the Moon
It’s one thing to talk about goals and plans, but there’s a difference between discussing something fairly straight-forward that you plan to do, and talking about The Dream. You can talk about how you’re going to write a 400-word article, or how you hope, by the end of the year,…
Tour Stop with Quinn Cummings
You may remember Quinn Cummings from when she was a child star, paired up with Richard Dreyfuss and Marsha Mason in Goodbye Girl, or starring on Family . But these days, I know her best from her blog, The QC Report, which is funny and insightful, and always entertaining. I…
An Open Letter to Amazon About the Kindle
Dear Amazon: The first thing you need to know is that I want a Kindle. I do. I’m in the middle of trying to pare down my 3000+ volume library down to manageable size, and have to admit that an eReader that can hold half of them in its memory…