writing
Drought or Flood?
Just a little house keeping first… Yes, I have updated my blog with a new theme. I hope it didn’t throw you too badly. I think it’s clean and easy on the eyes. Let me know what you think of the new look or if there are any glitches when you view it. Thanks all. […]
Reading and Writing, No ’Rithmetic
There are countless creative writing classes out there being taught nights and weekends at local high schools and community colleges. There are businesses and magazines solely devoted to teaching the craft of writing. You can earn undergraduate and graduate level degrees in the field of literature. You can even take classes online. There are blogs […]
What’s Your Point of View?
First? Second? Third? I’m talking about narrative points of view. Which is best? I have touched upon this topic before as have many others. There is no definitive answer, however the collective consensus is by all means stay away from second person point of view—a story told from the reader’s vantage point: “You reach for […]
In Search of Good Descriptions
I am reading The Red House by Mark Haddon. I promise to give you a full review when I finish it. It is beautifully and creatively written. I have been captivated by his style. Haddon is a master of description. His book is about the families of two estranged siblings—a brother (Richard) and sister (Angela)—coming […]
Yes, BusRider’sDaughter, There Is a Santa Claus…
I sat down on the bus the other morning and got a pleasant surprise. Reader, Steve Meitz, who is a big, silver-haired albeit beardless Santa Claus kind of a guy, told me that his teenage daughter (aka: BusRider’sDaughter) has not only caught the Five Sentence Fiction bug, but has joined the after school Creative Writing […]
I Am I Said…
I read Suzanne Collins’ Hunger Games over the summer and I knew with all certainty, before I finished the first sentence, that Katniss, the story’s protagonist, [spoiler alert!] would still be standing by the time I reached the last page. While I know it was a popular read, I was not a huge fan of […]
Finding the “Zone”
The other week I posted a list of some of literature’s opening sentences as writing prompts. Sometimes getting the first sentence down is all it takes and from there it’s “all off to the races.” I love when that happens. It is one of the joys of writing. Fellow reader, writer and blogger, Pam Williamson, […]
Beta Readers: Getting a Second Opinion
We can easily spot talent in others, but accepting our own is a much steeper climb. Some have an overinflated self image, while others seem much too timid to accept that they have plenty to be proud of. The act of writing is a largely solitary craft. A book can take a year or more […]
