Fixing Plot Holes
Whether shallow or deep, a story’s plot holes need fixing. Most likely the breaks in a cohesive storyline appear in the first draft. Right now, I’m facing the plot hole […]
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The Creative Process
As a writer, I struggle with discipline. I make empty promises to forge a daily writing habit. I fill my calendar with self-imposed, unmet deadlines. When I confront the need
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Allegiance to Authors
Bestselling authors possess their own brand of celebrity. Book ratings and reviews can climb up to the thousand mark and beyond on websites like Goodreads, a subsidiary of Amazon. As
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Sketching the Story
No book is easy to write, whether fiction or nonfiction. Story development, the critical component, can elude writers, especially in the formative stages. Ultimately, the characters, both biographical and fictional,
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Banning of Books
For this year’s Goodreads Reading Challenge, I rediscovered a 20th century classic novel. If I’d read the Pulitzer Prize winner, To Kill a Mockingbird previously, I don’t recall doing so.
Let it Breathe
Let it breathe. These words, by romance author, Beverly Jenkins, were spoken to a roomful of seasoned and newbie authors looking for inspiration and sound advice as they work on
Let’s Get Personal
As a teen, I loved reading biographies. It was a brief spell, but I made the most of it with soaking up stories about historical figures or celebrities. As an
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Characters With Character
Invariably, I will read a book and trudge through weak structure, rambling sentences, and, at times, confusing sequences. And yet I stick with the story compelled by the turn of
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Chapter Review
This week, I picked up a book from a dusty plastic crate stored away in the laundry room of my basement. Many boxed items remain stacked up from my former
Over and Above
A family member read a few chapters of my unpublished novel and simply stated, “It’s overwritten” with no intention of finishing it. Wow! The candid critic earned a degree in