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Big Dreams Walking?
From the archives March 18, 2010: Are you holding on to your BIG dreams! So am I. I wrote this five years ago and my big dream back then was to get published. Nine months after writing this I was offered a contract for a novella. Not my ideal publishing scenario, but I’ve learned not…
Dialogue Tags
The writing book Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Browne and Dave King (second edition) is one of the best books for bumping your writing up to the next level and making it look more professional. If you haven’t read this book yet, I strongly suggest you buy it or borrow it and read it…
Creating Quirky Characters
Writers are fabulous people-watchers. We have to be. After all, the imaginary characters we create must seem both true-to-life and intriguing to the reader. One way we add interest and realism to our characters is to give them quirks. My dictionary says a quirk is a peculiarity, and a peculiarity is something that is…
Nuts and bolts on writing
By Margaret Daley Some of my observations and lessons I’ve learned over the twenty-six years I have been writing can be summed up in these 16 “nuts and bolts” of this writing business. 1. Talent is important but equally or more important is perseverance with some luck thrown in. 2. Rejection is part of writing…
What's Wrong with Looking Toward the Mountaintop?
March 2014 It’s been a while since I had something to say. A while since I felt like I had something encouraging to say. Truth is, I’ve been the one needing the encouragement. But today I was reminded of something as I opened by bible for the first time in a long time. Since I…
Growing Grammar: COMMAndments
People generally approach grammar and liver the same way. They either dive in with gusto or grow pale, start sweating, and look for the nearest exit. Okay, perhaps not the most appealing way to start a column that will feature grammar issues, but food analogies seem to work for me.(Food works for me, but that’s…
The Secrets of a Sentence
There’s a story about George Washington Carver. He asked God to reveal the secrets of the universe, and God was silent. He asked God to reveal the secrets of science and biology, and God was silent. Then he asked God to reveal the secrets of the peanut, and God did. I don’t care about peanuts.…
Character Goals and Motivation
A goal is like an agenda. Something the character wants. It has to be hard to get. Readers like to see the character struggle. They like to know what the character wants, but they have absolutely no idea how she’ll get it. Your audience wants to live moment-by-moment through your character’s life, feeling all the…
How to Improve on a Blank Page
One of the most common questions I get from aspiring writers is “How do I start?” The ideas are in their heads, but the problem is getting them on paper.Whether you are writing magazine articles, story stories, novels, or even homework assignments—here are some tips for improving on the blank page. Sift Through Your Ideas.…
When You're Not the Only One in Your Family with a Dream
From the Editor: I’ve been thinking a lot about my personal goals, my children’s dreams, and what I want my family to look like. Unfortunately, all three are often in conflict with one another at different times. I knew from a young age that I wanted to write, and I’ve never doubted the calling, though…