We hear it a lot: Persevere. Keep going. Push past the frustration. Overcome writer's block. Do all these things and eventually you'll finish your book, you'll see it published, you can be proud you never gave up. Every now and then we get an example of an author who persevered. We're gifted with knowing an... Continue Reading →
Last December I posted about two different types of writing groups. That brief overview was related to a couple of columns I wrote for a private writing group's newsletter. Even then, I didn't feel as though I'd said all I wanted to on the subject. Result? An expanded how-to guide, with suggestions for getting a... Continue Reading →
Because my husband and I are always moving, trading one "hometown" for another around the continent, we frequently pick up local newspapers to see what's happening while we're in the neighborhood. On a recent visit to the Grand Canyon we bought the Grand Canyon News, and it delivered a juicy bit of information about an... Continue Reading →
Quick answer: they can be. Or not. Depends. Don't you love answers like those?!? But seriously. Much does depend on what the group's purpose and who's attending it. Purpose Though types of writing groups vary, two primary categories are critique groups and creative groups. Critique Groups There's no one way to organize such groups, but... Continue Reading →
Prompts are everywhere. We just have to be able to spot them and know how to use them. Take receipts, for instance. Ever pick up a random receipt someone left in a shopping cart or tossed away and give it a close look? You should. What did this stranger buy? What time of day or... Continue Reading →
Usually prompts are used to generate a new piece of writing -- often through a timed, free-writing exercise. For example, you set a timer for ten minutes and write whatever pops into your head using the prompt. Fiction, real-life memory, poem, country music lyrics, recipe... whatever rings your bell. In the writing group, we have... Continue Reading →
Awhile back someone posted his concern on a writer's forum that he was starting too late. I've heard it now and again from older writers: they're in their sixties or seventies, and they're worried that they shouldn't even give it a try, this novel writing thing. If that's your particular worry, then I have some... Continue Reading →
"I can't wait until I'm done with high school so I can spend more time writing," confessed several of the young writers I worked with some years ago in Ohio. They had been selected to participate in a week-long writing intensive at a state university. They were creative, avid writing nerds thrilled to have time... Continue Reading →
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