Category: Barbara Pattee

Works-in-Progress

“The road to hell is paved with works-in-progress.” — Philip Roth Don’t feel guilty because you have too many works-in-progress with no end in sight. Take a look at your unfinished manuscripts and ask yourself why you can’t complete them. Afraid your work will be rejected by publishers? Consider the case of Marvin V. Arnett …

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Read, Read, Read

“If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot.” ~Stephen King I met a young man in a critique group who had an excellent premise for his novel. I asked him if he read anything in that genre. His unflinching reply, “Oh, …

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Have No Fear

“Don’t be afraid to fail, be afraid not to try.” Randy Rubin How many times have you thought about writing a story, poem, essay, or memoir and failed to even try. How many times have you questioned your desire to write and thought, “What’s the use? No one will want to read my work.” Do …

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Born that way?

“It’s none of their business that you have to learn to write. Let them think you were born that way.” – Ernest Hemingway Some writers seem to be born with a gift for writing with passions that evoke strong emotions, while others soothe you with their serene words. But only you, the writer, knows whether …

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A Possibility

“It’s the possibility that keeps me going, not the guarantee.” — Nicholas Sparks I’ve always enjoyed the written word and wrote short stories and poetry while in elementary school. In middle school, I wrote for the school paper. My goal was to write for the high school paper. Unfortunately, I became the high school advertising …

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