Escape Room Lessons for Writers
My youngest daughter invited me to my very first Escape Room game the other day. As a mystery fan, I was excited—and a little apprehensive. Would I understand all the clues? Would I be asked things I had no concept of? Would I be able to complete the game in the time allotted? Would I […]
Crunch Time—When Writing Deadlines Loom
I have a major deadline due at the end of this month for a big project I’ve been working on. Part of me wants to panic. But I know that if I panic, I will become unproductive. I’ll spend more time worrying instead of writing. So here are a few tips on how to make […]
Spring Cleaning a Writer’s Way
Spring is well under way. There’s something about the change of season that inspires the need to start afresh and get life back in order. Maybe that comes with digging up an old flowerbed and planting an herb garden, or cleaning out the garage to have that rummage sale you’ve been thinking about. Or maybe […]
Are You Using ALL Your Writing Resources?
Wonderful writing resources are easily available to us. We can access rhyming, spelling, and foreign language dictionaries. We can look up synonyms in a thesaurus, and find the perfect line to quote in Bartlett’s Familiar Quotations. If you need to write a screenplay, you can purchase programs to help with formatting. Need feedback on your […]
Are Low Paying Writing Jobs Worth It?
A writing job comes your way. The topic is something you like to write about, and the word count isn’t too bad. But there’s a lot of research involved, and the pay is lower than you’d like. Should you take it? Here are a few reasons why a low paying job may be beneficial.
Author: Beware!
As authors, we are expected to wear several hats: writer, researcher, investigator, interviewer, blogger, marketer, to name a few. Some of us are good at the writing and researching. But the other “hats,” especially marketing, can be challenging. Many publishers also expect us to do some promotion. So when opportunities pop up where someone wants […]
Making Sense of Seasonal Writing
Christmas is just around the corner. Shops are full of gift ideas while carols play in the background, neighborhoods are decorated with lights and all sorts of holiday displays, cookies are baking with the wonderful smells of cinnamon, nutmeg, and gingerbread filling the air, Douglas fir and pine trees abound with all sorts of fun […]
Digging Deep Into Research
What happens if you are working on a nonfiction writing assignment that prefers primary sources and/or information within 100 years or so of the event? This isn’t your ordinary research project. This means you have to Dig Deep! Here are some tips to help in your research.
The Importance of Submission Guidelines
You’ve worked hard on your manuscript. You found a publisher that you think may like your story, and you send it out with great expectation. You wait several months. You hear nothing back, which is not uncommon nowadays. Most publishing companies only respond if interested. You believe your story must not have been a perfect […]
No Power? Now What?
I’m sitting at my desk, preparing to work on a big writing project. I have my notes, and my laptop is ready for me to find some additional online information. But then I notice that the livestream I was listening to has fallen silent. Streaming issues? Hmm. Next, I notice that the ceiling fan above […]