We’ve all heard the metaphorical phrase, “don’t judge a book by its cover.” We know it means look beneath the surface of a person before forming an opinion, rather than judging them by their outer trappings or behavior. But authors have a different take on the subject. We’re hammered daily by writing advice sites that … Read more
I became a professional writer at the age of ten when the generous owner of a children’s dress shop paid me four dollars for a four-line poem advertising her establishment. The moment is what’s called an “inciting incident.” It gave me confidence to write more poems, then essays, then a column in my local newspaper … Read more
As writers, we’re told not to write to the market, but to write what we know, what we love. It’s safer, they say, because markets change quickly. What’s popular today might have waned by the time our book comes out. My favorite phrase relating to this advice is, “Vampires are dead.” Yup, they certainly are. … Read more
Judging from the number of texts I receive, as compared to the number of actual phone calls, I suspect texting has replaced calling as the most popular form of communication. Or miscommunication. And that’s why I’m blogging about it. Texts are words without inflection, read without emphasis on any one word. You don’t know what … Read more
August is Romance Awareness Month and I was going to write about romance. But there’s a problem. I’m not feeling very romantic these days So I checked the Twitter hashtag trends yesterday and found lots of other topics. Two were related to romance. National Girlfriend’s Day and National Night Out Day. Hmm. Sounds like they’re … Read more