By Victoria Buck When I was a child I had an imaginary friend named Lobby Lou. She seemed real. After a year or so I outgrew her and she stopped playing with me. But did I lose the ability to concoct a friend? I’m sure I didn’t because a transhuman lives in my head now. Or at least in my …
In Celebration of Technique
By Michelle Arch A curious thing seems to be happening in MFA workshops and critique groups. Criticism regarding spelling, grammar, and punctuation is considered hypercritical and offered only with considerable apologies for nitpicking. “Your editor will catch and correct those problems” seems to be the widespread assumption, which disregards entirely the fact that, as unpublished, amateur writers, we don’t yet …
Never Too Old to Learn
By Martha Rogers Since I began writing from Deep POV, my writing has become tighter and much more efficient with much less telling and more showing. This proved once again that I’m never too old to learn more effective techniques for my writing. I refuse to be bound by “I’ve always done it that way” because a closed mind to …
Make Me Care
By Kathleen Y’Barbo Now that I commute for my job, I love listening to podcasts. I can thank my daughter for this habit, as she’s the one who told me I should give them a try. Most of the time, I listen to writing-related podcasts. My list isn’t particularly long, but I do have a few favorites. Joanna Penn’s The …
Writing the Spiritual Coming-of-Age Story for Teens
By Rondi Bauer Olson I was raised in a very conservation Christian denomination. Conservative, of course, means different things to different people. For me it meant rules. Lots and lots of rules. I had to wear a dress. I couldn’t watch TV or go to movies. And I couldn’t read novels. Or, at least, I wasn’t supposed to. There was …
Sometimes Real Life Can Become a Novel
By Ane Mulligan The second book in my Chapel Lake series, Chapel Springs Survival,came from a real life event-and became a mother’s retribution. Insert creepy music and evil laughter. The day started out normal, boring even. Then I got a phone call from our eldest son. “Hey, Mom. I emailed you some pictures. Take a look and call me back.” …
First Drafts: Fast and Free
By Katherine Reay As I write this, The Bronte Plot launches in two weeks and my next manuscript is due in a few days… As you read it, both are behind me. And at both times, I’m buried in first drafts. My son is working on college application essays and one of my daughters is tackling her first two high …
Writing What You Know…Emotionally
By Martha Rogers From early on in my writing days, I was taught to write what I knew most about. During my college days, that didn’t amount to a whole lot in my opinion. In looking back at those days and some of the manuscripts, I find stories about high school romances, college days, and perfect families. I was writing …
Writing Productivity, Big and Small Chunk Style
By Allie Pleiter How much writing do you get done in a sitting? The answer feeds a lot more than your progress toward a deadline-it can tell you a lot about your writing life and writing needs. What do I mean by “big” or “small”? While my book goes into much greater detail, the basic concept is this: If you …
Don’t Quit Your Day Job
By Elizabeth Musser We’ve all heard the quip, when starting out on the writing journey, ‘don’t quit your day job.’ It is usually offered by a caring friend (or editor) who knows that making a living in the writing world can be daunting. But I’ve found that keeping my day job has not only put food on the table, but …