Tag: writing
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When your idea shows up in a movie or book – Just keep writing
“Hey, that was my idea!” As writers you’ve probably heard this from other writers or have proclaimed it yourself in one variation or another and no doubt with a few colorful added expletives. I certainly have. This occurs when we’ve read a book or seen a movie in the theater or on TV with a…
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Latinidad mentions ‘Verdict in the Desert’
Marcela Landres was kind enough to mention my new book, “Verdict in the Desert” in the most recent edition of her outstanding e-zine, Latinidad. Marcela is the author of the e-book How Editors Think: The Real Reason They Rejected You, and is the publisher of Latinidad®, an award-winning e-zine chosen one of the 101 Best Web Sites for…
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Don’t keep your eyes on the prize. Concentrate on writing
When the Pulitzers are announced each year I look for my name. I have yet to find it. The prize time of year does remind me that if I’m just writing to win a prize, I have bigger problems to deal with. I don’t sit down in the chair in my office, stretch my fingers…
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Whatever you write, be happy
I had lunch with a woman who is also a writer and throughout I was struck by her love of what she was doing. She had no bloodthirsty goal to be on the New York Times Bestseller list or climb the lofty heights of the Amazon ranks. She wasn’t out to make sure that her…
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Add dedication to your writer’s tool box
Make a list of all the tools you need to be a writer. Let’s see, computer, paper, ideas, dictionary, and yes, dedication. Those who challenged themselves in National Novel Writing Month in November, that is writing a 50,000 word novel in a month, have already learned this simple rule, philosophy or whatever you choose to…
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Don’t beat yourself up for what you didn’t accomplish in 2014
This is a known fact in the universe, most writers are self-doubting humans who work their asses off hoping to get it right. I am very much among them. On top of that, at the end of every year, I’d ask myself “what the hell have I been doing for the past 12 months?” Well,…
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Starting a new book is hell (and a bit of heaven)
I can’t complain. I recently signed a contract with a publisher for my new book and an agent is shopping another manuscript. My writing partner and I published a new children’s book of which we are proud and which won an award. Another publisher also released my YA paranormal novel a few months ago. It…
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Declare war on clichés. Your writing and the world will be better for it
I am a peace loving woman, but I do have a sworn enemy – clichés. When I judged writing contests and edited copy for a newspaper, I cringed whenever I saw a cliché. I cringed a lot. Sometimes, I would even be reading a first draft of my writing, and what do you know? I…
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Why do you write? For the market or yourself?
This is a great column on that topic. Although it was written about screenplays, I believe it applies for most any writing. http://www.screencraft.org/blog/teach-working-entertainment/
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Be Frankenstein. Grow your characters
When starting a new story and working on characters to populate it, I sometimes think of Frankenstein. Yes, Frankenstein. That’s because as a writer I have to grow and develop my characters. Not sew them together out of a bunch of dead bodies, but develop creations with thoughts, dreams, fears, weaknesses and strengths. Quirks and…