Monthly Archives: April 2012

Editing Strategies

“Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work.” Aristotle Needless to say, editing is challenging. I remember reading that Joyce Carole Oates feels that putting together a first draft can be torturous, but that revising and editing — shaping … Continue reading

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Kicking Back

Sometimes, we can be working so intensely that we forget that it’s important to refill the well emotionally and spiritually by just relaxing for a bit. That’s why I was so happy when my wonderful friend and writing buddy, Nancy, … Continue reading

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“Unquittably” Committed

“The only easy day was yesterday.” Motto of the Navy SEALs When it comes to toughness and being “forged by adversity,” it’s hard to beat the Navy SEALs. Just consider this statement from the “Ethos” description on their Web site: … Continue reading

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Adverb Axing

In the classic writing guide, The Elements of Style, the last chapter is devoted to developing strong, sinewy writing and offers a number of valuable tips for aspiring authors. “Cautionary hint” number 4 advises “write with nouns and verbs.” The … Continue reading

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Fan Base

When you write a book and send it out into the world, you never know exactly where it will land and how it will recreate itself. And sometimes, miracles occur. That’s exactly what happened in the case of Don Miller’s … Continue reading

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Book Givers

Some time ago, I did a post on World Book Night, an ambitious project to give away free books that started in Britain and jumped across the pond to America (See Book Night). Well, April 23 was the BIG DAY … Continue reading

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Watching Movies

You can learn a lot — not just about screenwriting, but about storytelling — from watching movies. This helpful notion popped into my head because, since it was a rainy Sunday, a friend of mine and I took in a … Continue reading

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Packed House

It’s not often these days that you see a packed house at a poetry reading — maybe at a Poetry Slam, yes — but a reading? Well I attended one with Alex not too long ago that was a knockout. … Continue reading

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Artist’s Date

In her wonderful book, The Artist’s Way, Julia Cameron introduces the concept of the “Artist’s Date” — a weekly adventure in which you replenish your creative well by doing something fun and inventive. This is a solo excursion — it’s … Continue reading

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Moving Ahead

“I seriously doubt I would ever have written the first story had I not been a lawyer. I never dreamed of being a writer. I wrote only after witnessing a trial.” John Grisham Reading success stories about struggling authors who’ve … Continue reading

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