Oh happy day! My novel is "done," which means I'm reaching out for beta readers. Bookworm (73K words) is an adult thriller with horror and romantic elements (because those pair so well!). It leans dark and literary, as so much of my writing does. So 18 and older, please, but other than that, my only …
What Gets Under My Skin: Words
Caged Bird A free bird leaps on the back of the wind and floats downstream till the current ends and dips his wing in the orange sun rays and dares to claim the sky. *** But a bird that stalks down his narrow cage can seldom see through his bars of rage his wings are …
Spontaneous 7 Oxymoron: Thin-Skinned Writer
If you're a writer, you may start out thin-skinned, but if you're to survive, you can't possibly stay that way. Most writers fall into the craft because of some strategically-timed compliments, generally given by authority figures and well-meaning English teachers in our formative years. This is usually coupled with an insatiable appetite for reading. …
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That’ll Teach You a Lesson: Skits
Hands down, my students' favorite class is when they write and perform skits. We read The King and His Hawk to get a feel for the form. The lesson of this great fable: Don't do anything in anger. The King and His Hawk is especially appropriate for the battle-weary parent, as she has multiple hawks …
Spontaneous 6: Tension on Every Page
This may be my favorite exercise ever. Donald Maass calls it tension-on-every-page. You're probably thinking, Thanks for the tip, Captain Obvious. What writer would purpose to write even one boring page? I hear that. But the way we go about adding tension matters. I could just throw my veggies in a pot, dump in some …
An Invitation to FLOG This Writer AND…I Got Shot
In Spontaneous 5 I mentioned spending upwards of seven (it was actually more like ten) hours on my first page. Well, you can see the fruit of that labor and even vote anonymously whether or not you'd keep reading my work HERE. This is me, begging you. I'm not asking for strokes. Vote your conscience. …
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Spontaneous 5: Where’s the Beef?
Ever wonder why that would-be writer is taking FOR. EVER to produce something? I mean, Where's the beef? You've been at this for, what? –a year? So and so writer churns them out with the regularity of vegan bowel movements, and you're still just...writing? Here's how non-writers regard book-writing. They take the time it took …
Spontaneous 4: How Can This Get Any Worse?
If you're a cup half-empty person, you're always asking and answering that question. I am, admittedly, a prophet of doom. I can ALWAYS see how things can get worse. Just ask my husband. He'll tell you about the giant trees that stood majestically on our front lawn, the ones I imagined falling. Not in just …
Does Sincerity Result in Good Writing? — Mere Inkling Press
Most aspiring writers are sincere. The question is, does the earnestness of their work translate into excellence? In other words, does honesty correlate to quality? C.S. Lewis addressed this question in an essay about John Bunyan (1628-1688). Bunyan was the English writer and Puritan preacher best known for The Pilgrim’s Progress. At the outset of […] …
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Spontaneous 3: Field Research
I can do face-to-face with my students because...well, I don't know exactly. I'm used to it. It's comfortable. I have the nicest students in the universe. (Seriously. They thank me after class—for lecturing them and giving them homework.) So I am not down for this thing I have to do. This thing, I admit comes …
KL Griffiths 