In addition to being a ‘word’ person, I’m also a ‘numbers’ person. So when I hear someone say, “You have to write a million words before you will have something good enough to publish,” both sides of my brain start to fire up. Can you imagine? A magic number to work toward, and when you …
April 2014 archive
Apr 23
Six Sensible Rules for Suspense
Amy stirs, half asleep and freezing cold with a putrid taste sticking to her throat. In the distance, her two dogs bark frantically. Much closer, the wind whistles in the fog and gently brushes her cheek, and that puzzles her…? Amy wakes with a jolt and shivers with fear. “Glenn!” she calls, coughs and shoves …
Apr 22
More Voices from the Past
When I was thinking about my blog post for April, I had several ideas. But one gripped me and wouldn’t let go. It came from other letters I’d read and copied when I was in California last month. This time they were from my mother’s side of the family. In Europe in the late 1930s …
Apr 18
Does your car need a poetic license plate?
Bet’cha you’re a poet and didn’t even know it. However, ask me if I’m a poet, and my immediate response is no. After all, poetry is sing-songy rhymes sung by first graders. Classic poets are older writers spewing stylized language for pages upon pages. The new wave of poets are hipsters baring their raw, tortured …
Apr 16
Express Yourself with the Perfect Word
I remember being a child and responding to my (now beloved) sister’s taunts with the phrase, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words shall never hurt me.” How anyone ever thought that was an effective way for children to deal with ridicule is a mystery to me. Today it’s more commonly understood that …
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