Expressing Tone

Hi Folks, Note: This post was originally scheduled for 4/6/2014. It didn’t post to MailChimp, so I’m posting it again now. I’ve revised the original post so it’s up to date. After my original posting of “sigh… present-tense narrative is great. please write in present-tense narrative,” a couple of years ago, several writers emailed to ask why I titled that post the way I did, namely in lower case and repeating the main primary phrase. I … Read more

I Did It Myyyyyyy Way…..

Hey folks, Note: This post was originally scheduled for 3/21/2014. It didn’t post to MailChimp, so I’m posting it again now. I’ve revised the original post so it’s up to date. I don’t like misunderstandings. I like them even less when they’re based on skimming information and missing important facts that are Right There In Front Of You. If you take exception to any concept I present in any of my posts, that’s fine, but please … Read more

A Revised Baker’s Dozen: Thirteen Traits of a Professional Writer

Hi Folks, I’m sending this out a little early because, darn it, it’s the Christmas season and I wanna give you a few presents. I’ll slip in an appropriate post on the 21st just to keep the routine of every ten days going. That’s when this one would have gone if I’d left it to its own devices. First, Merry Christmas. If you don’t celebrate Christmas, I hope you have an enjoyable holiday season. Also, I … Read more

The Journal, Friday, 12/11

Hi Folks, Still under the weather a bit today but definitely on the mend. It feels good knowing by this time tomorrow I ought’a be back to my normal level of unhealthinessicity. (grin) The Day Rolled out a little before 3 this morning. Sometime overnight my subconscious set up an alarm reminding me to get the “boxed set” of the Wes Crowley novels out for that one guy who might want it for Christmas. (grin) So … Read more

Fun with Aphorisms

Hi Folks, Taking a little break today for a short post and some fun. At least I hope you’ll find it fun. “Aphorism” is defined by dictionary.com as “a short pithy saying expressing a general truth.” My aphorisms sometimes come out as definitions (ala Ambrose Bierce) and are most often satirical. Here are a dozen of mine. Remember, these are tongue in cheek: apology, n. A device intended to soothe wounds and thereby put a victim … Read more

Are You a “Real” Writer? (Humor)

Hi Folks, This topic doesn’t really fit with the current series of how-tos I’m posting here, so I thought I’d slip it in as a bonus. Just some things to think about. A couple months ago on Facebook, which as we all know is a fount of absolute wisdom, someone posing as a professional fiction writer posted that writing is a “deliciously tedious travail” or some such nonsense. Yeah, I’m not kidding. Being who and what … Read more

The Journal, Saturday, 9/19: Fun with Aphorisms

Rolled out at 2:30 again, fired up to write. I got my coffee, checked email, and an aphorism sprang to mind. I wrote that one in a “Quotations” text document I keep, and it birthed another one. That happened several more times, along with the necessary revisions, and then I went to another file I’ve kept for years: definitions. I spent some time there, writing a few new definitions and transfering some older ones to my … Read more

To Be or Not To Be

Howdy folks, This is yet another in the “out of the series” series of mid-term posts that might answer a few questions for some of you. Recently a friend and fellow writer asked me for a recommendation of someone who could read his work. He explained that he wasn’t looking for an edit or even a proofread, but simply wanted someone to read it with an eye toward whether he should continue writing or shuck the … Read more

Defining “A Huge Amount of Time”

Hi Folks, Well, here we are with another post that isn’t part of the usual series. Still, even with these that are not part of the normal series, I try to pass along what I’ve learned as a writer. This post is the result of an email I received in response to a recent short story of the week. The respondent (also a writer) writes, [H]ow do you manage to get all these  stories edited?  Congratulations … Read more

A Few Guidelines for Writers

Hi Folks, The guidelines below are truisms, facts, not opinions. They will work for hobby writers, part-time writers and professional writers. If you are not a writer or if you believe you have to “suffer” for your art or any of that, they won’t work for you. Note: I’m all about intentions and facts, not perceptions. If you disagree with any or all of this post, please don’t email me. I’ll just smile, shrug and say, … Read more