Ready to take your writing to the next level? e-mail me
In nonfiction, essays are one of the trickiest to master. Even if you write only fiction or poetry or memoir, knowing your theme can help you stay on track. Writing Tip for Today: Here are some tips for discovering and adhering to a theme: Only One Thing One of the first rules of essay writing […]
Whether you write memoir, fiction or nonfiction, you need anecdotes and scenes to illustrate your point. How can you know which moment is the right one to depict? Writing Tip for Today: Here are some tips to help you choose compelling moments to illustrate: Gabrielle Rico The Gabrielle Rico method helps you to pinpoint a […]
Writers everywhere seem to dread the platform side of writing. We’d all rather cocoon ourselves and write, right? Here’s a different way to look at this oft-postponed task. Writing Tip for Today: Three ways to build your readership: Before You Write Ideally, even before you have a marketable book or short piece, you’ll think about […]
If you’re writing a novel, an essay or a memoir, the rumors you’ve heard about reaching the midpoint are mostly true. The middling middle can create headaches of course, but there are tools you can use to get past it and sail on toward your climax. Writing Tip for Today: Here are some resources to […]
Even pros who have been writing for decades can fall prey to grammar goofs. Writing Tip for Today: Here’s a refresher on crafting tight, effective sentences. Jots and Apostrophes One of the most common writing errors is confusion about apostrophes. An apostrophe takes the place of a letter or letters—a shorter less formal word results. […]
Whether you write fiction, memoir, nonfiction or poetry, your chosen form must have a shape that draws readers in. Writing Tip for Today: Here are some tips for sculpting your story’s shape: Climbing the Mountain If you’re a fiction or memoir writer, you’re probably aware that your story or book-length work must start with a […]
Writers write because they have something to say. But to whom? Writing Tip for Today: Here are some tips for defining and reaching your audience: Where’s Your Book? New writers often think their book will be in bookstores “everywhere” and that will be enough. Or, noobs will say their book’s on Amazon or a website, […]
Writers who set out to tackle memoir often get trapped in their own life’s story. One way to succeed at memoir writing is to remember: A memoir really isn’t about you. Writing Tip for Today: Here are some ways to approach memoir writing: Not About You Did you gasp at the phrase, “it’s not about […]
Most genres run in cycles and trends. What’s hot today may not be tomorrow. Should you chase these trends? Writing Tip for Today: Here are some tips on writing to trends: Cycling My first novel was about a woman teacher who had to return to her own school and face the abuse she’d once endured […]
Do you have earlier writing sitting on a thumb drive or in a drawer? For a fun and enlightening exercise, try retro revision. Writing Tip for Today: What can you learn from self-editing earlier writing work? Cringe Factor When I pull out old manuscripts, I cringe. I’m not the same writer today as I was […]