Oh, I’ve had my fair share of rejection over the years. Being a writer means you have to develop thick skin. I’ve dealt with feedback I’ve disagreed with, bad reviews, publications that didn’t like my stories, and people who disparaged my choice of profession. Yet, I persist. When I first…
Tag: Writing Fiction
Creativity
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Writing Fiction – The Pain of Editing
Arguably the hardest part of being a writer is editing your work. For me, it’s like having a pile of puzzle pieces and trying to sort them into a coherent image. Or filling in the blank on a Mad Lib. There’s cutting, slicing, and rearranging. I toss aside lines and…
Creativity
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Writing Fiction – The First Draft Dilemma
I have a love/hate relationship with first drafts. I call it my first draft dilemma. On one hand, I love writing a first draft. The idea for the story is fresh in my mind. I’m going along for a ride to see where it takes me. Usually, I don’t even…
Books
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Writing Fiction – Showing Vs. Telling
I’ve been reading and reviewing a lot of books lately. I’d say that roughly half of them have been well-written and engaging. The other half, well, the authors were in need of a good editor. Not that the ideas were bad. No, the problem I’m seeing most often is that…
Books
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Writing Fiction – Talking About Dialogue
One of the little irritations I have when reading fiction is stilted dialogue. What I’m referring to is that written dialogue that, when I hear it in my head, sounds stiff and unnatural. Here’s an example: “Hey,” I said. “Hey,” he replied. “I am going to the store. Would you…