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Body Parts
I am more than my eyes alone. “Smooth and smiling faces everywhere, but ruin in their eyes.” – Jean-Paul Sartre I did not plan on starting this week’s post about eyes. Eyes may be the windows of the...
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Reviews Are Mixed. How To Deal by Arline Chase
QUESTION from the e-mail: I’ve always wanted to be a writer. Recently I finished my first book and got it published. Like most, I tried to promote it by getting book reviews. I got several three and...
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Tips from the Masters: Barry Eisler
Author Lin Robinson Barry Eisler has two different claims to fame. To readers, he is the best-selling author of two exciting thriller series: the guy who doesn’t just write about heroes who are ex CIA...
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Tips From the Masters: Bill Fitzhugh
Bill Fitzhugh is another of my favorites who should be far better known and appreciated. And I’m far from the only one who feels that way. Maybe not quite a “cult” author, Fitzhugh decidedly commands a...
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IU 2013 Writing Stimulus Package and Planner
Eventually you will raise your bleary eyes from your work in progress and ask the questions all writers ask: What day is it? What month is it? What year is it? Why doesn’t anyone ever pick up around...
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“Pick Six” Writing Tips
Author Robert Clay Norman Football season is here, and so I offer these suggestions to assist you in scoring your own “touchdown.” (For you non-pigskinners, “Pick Six” refers to a defensive touchdown...
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Deal of the Day
The 2013 Writing Stimulus Package and Planner is now on sale for a mere $7.99. That’s less than you spend on any given eight dollar item. For this pittance, you get thirteen months of writing prompts –...
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Watt Due Ewe Mien?
Tom appeared on the sidewalk with a bucket of whitewash and a long-handled brush. He surveyed the fence, and all gladness left hymn and a deep melancholy settled down upon his spirit. Thirty yards of...
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LynneQuisition: Michael Gallagher
When I went spelunking through the list of top Amazon reviewers awhile back, I didn’t expect to see a familiar name. But there he was: Michael Gallagher of Kindle Books & Tips is a Top-10 Amazon...
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Watch Out for the Cliff!
Back when I was a little teeny writer, I read a lot of Nancy Drew books. I loved them – they were stories about a smart and resourceful heroine who faced a little bit of danger that wasn’t too graphic,...
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In Defense of Short Sentences
Back in broadcast journalism school, I was taught that the shorter and simpler the sentence structure, the better. Subject-verb-object ruled the day. Semicolons were verboten. I was told to count the...
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Tips on Creating a Story Bible
So, you’re editing the last part of your novel and mention a character’s sister named Annie. Or was it Annabeth? Or did you give in to that wild idea of changing the sister’s name to Rasheeda? You...
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How to Write Better Dialogue
Last week, Big Al treated us to his vast experience on what not to do with dialogue and dialogue tags. That got me all excited to talk about one of my favorite topics: how to write better dialogue....
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Lather, Rinse, Explain, Repeat: Redundancy in Writing
Your main character has fled from the office she shares with a close co-worker and friend, and has run to the boss’s office. There, in a key scene, she has emoted all over herself, revealing a deep,...
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Those Pesky Punctuation Marks
In my reading, I often see questionable usage of a few related punctuation marks. I know (1) that grammar is not every writer’s strong suit and (2) the rules for grammar are more often gray rather than...
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Side Order of Kick: The Wind Beneath the Wingman
No, not THAT kind of sidekick. The lowly sidekick, treated properly and bought a beer now and then, can be utilized as a very powerful writing trope or crutch or supercharger. I’m not talking about the...
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Tips from the Masters: Lawrence Block
It’s a real rush to pass on a tip from Lawrence Block because he just might be the most major monster in crime fiction. Consider: he’s author of over forty novels (and that’s just under his own name —...
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Stop the Chop: Writing Smooth Transitions
Have you ever read a book where the scene is progressing nicely, things are happening, people are talking and then … you’re somewhere else. From one paragraph to the next, you’ve gone from a moonlit...
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Pacing…in Writing…Is…Everything
Pacing in writing is essential. It can make a story or break it. Good pacing can tune a good story into a masterpiece, or bad pacing can reduce it to caterwauls. Some months back, I read a new book by...
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Do You Know How Others See Your Writing?
Disparity — defined as the lack of agreement between internal perceptions with external behavior. So what does that have to do with writing? Simply put, what we think about our writing is always...
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