What is NaNoWriMo? For the uninitiated, this acronym is short for National Novel Writing Month, and it has taken place every November since its inception in 1999. The idea is to crank out 50,000 words between November 1 and November 30—which works out to be 1667 words per day. Every […]
On writing…better!
What do you view as the most important element of your writing, or your writing life? Passion? Yes, we all need that, especially when faced with rejection or obstacles in our quest for publication. But if passion were the most critical element in the making of a successful author, the […]
A Catholic Reference Shelf
Writers and editors have a number of standard reference works to consult — dictionaries, style manuals, usage guides — but these are of limited help when you need to look up Catholic terminology. So I thought I’d share some of the reference sources I’ve found useful when copyediting and proofreading […]
Dismantling Writer’s Block
Writer’s block. I don’t believe in it. Okay, I’ll hedge that a bit. All writers have moments when the words don’t come, or they have to be pried out of our brains like candy out of a three-year-old’s grasp. I do acknowledge that fact. Those moments are not fun. Those […]
Community! Find it in Unexpected Places!
I took up a swimming challenge at our local YMCA in January, and I’ve had plenty of time while plowing through the H2O to contemplate. One of the things that came to me recently – and which I did not anticipate – was what swimming (or any solitary sport), writing, […]
Balance in Fiction Writing
Balance. A few days ago, Ellen Gable Hrkach posted a great blog on common errors to avoid in writing fiction. One item she mentioned got me to thinking, namely too much dialogue. What’s ‘too much’? A lot of times that depends on the genre you’re writing. Clearly, screenplays and graphic […]
Investing in Failure
Here’s a concept that helps keep me going through discouragement: Invest in Failure. Josh Waitzkin, in The Art of Learning, uses the phrase to describe his attitude toward mastering new skills. The image of him, beaten and exhausted, going back in for round after round of brutal martial arts practice […]
Gotcha! Hooks: What They Are and How to Create Page-Turning Fiction
What’s a hook??? I admit to scratching my head over that term, and for a much-too-long time. I would hear it when people were discussing top-selling novels; I’d see it in articles about the craft of writing. It was a frequent comment from my critique partners. “Not much of hook […]
Tag! You’re It! Writing Dialogue in Fiction
“Hi, Beth,” waved Justin. “Why, Justin, I haven’t seen you since our high school prom six years ago, the one where our mutual friend, Erik, got suspended for spiking the punch,” gushed Beth. “Ho, ho,” chortled Justin. “Those were the days! He went on to become a successful, if whacky […]
Why We Need Editors, Beta Readers, Writers’ Groups, and Thick Skin
My friend Jesse at SFFaudio often laments the modern decline of the editor and the corresponding decline in writing quality today. I can’t help but agree. Publishers are cutting costs wherever they can which often seems to affect editing quality. Self-publishing takes its own toll as eager authors may not have […]