Writing isn’t necessarily about Making Money

The Truth You can make money from writing. There are a lot of places that will pay you for your copywriting, or you can search and submit to markets looking for the writing you do, but more often than not, Writing is its own reward. There are so many other reasons we write, and if

The Short Story and the Author

As some of you may know, I’m not only a blogger, but I’m an author – Novels, Short Stories, Anthologies, and the occasional collection of pet stories. I also teach classes on Writing the Short Story. Why Write Short Stories? “A short story is a love affair, a novel is a marriage. A short story

Advice from Professional Writers (2)

Over the past four years, I’ve been collecting bits and pieces of advice from writers whose work impacts the writing world. Over the next few posts, I’d like to share these with you. While every rule or suggestion might not apply to you and your writing – you, like me, should discover some gems. Here

Common Errors in Writing

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been blogging about the Parts of Speech, but I feel I need to change direction for a bit. As submissions for my latest Anthology came in, and I read and evaluated stories, I found a lot of common errors – and so, I will be addressing those over the

Grammar and Your Writing

During the three years I’ve been blogging, I’ve written several items on Grammar, but I’d like to start from scratch with this new series. I’d like to go out on a limb and venture to say that many of us begin writing stories when we’re young. We move through school learning the basics of language

Some Tips on Writing a Mystery/Crime story

As the deadline for submissions to the 2021 Indie Authors’ Mystery/Crime Anthology draws near, here are a few tips for those who are struggling with the concept and deadline. Your story could fall into one of the following categories: 1.    Mystery fiction includes police procedurals, private detective, and cozy mysteries. A crime has already been committed (usually a

What exactly makes a ‘Professional Writer?’

Above all else – writing is a skill, and like all skills, it needs to be nurtured and cultivated.

Do All Writers Need Vision Boards?

I’m the first to admit that the idea of a ‘vision board’ doesn’t fit with my writing style. The visions I have in my highly imaginative brain are quite enough to feed my storylines, but after researching the idea, I’m slowly leaning the other way. Supposedly, a vision board is a valuable tool. There are

Do you have Writer’s Burnout?

Okay, I’ll go first. YES – I have a form of Writers’ Burnout that is quite alarming. For the past six weeks or so, every time I write a Blog post, I get tired – or distracted – or suddenly feel like I must do something that takes me away from my den AND keyboard.

2020 First Quarter Goals – did you meet them?

Is anyone else blown away because the first quarter of the year is almost over? Turning the page of my calendar this morning hit me flat on the face and left a mark. When did this happen? And where did the time go? Where are you in the projects you outlined for the new year.