Posts with the Category of: 2011 April

What Are You Trying To Say?

Writing the suspenseful parts of a novel can be difficult – you know what you want to say, but how do you find the perfect words?  Creating a storyline is a craft all on its own – check out The Weekend Novelist Writes A Mystery by Robert Ray and Jack Remick.  I highly recommend this […]

Learn From The Best

Although I teach writing, I am also a constant student of writing.  I have many favorite authors that I recommend to aspiring writers.  Always start with the classics – Homer (such a great storyteller!), Charles Dickens,  Eudora Welty.  But also make sure that you read new writing to keep up with current trends of thought.  […]

First and Lasting Impressions

If a book doesn’t grab the reader right away, chances are it will be put aside.  We all have way too much going on in our lives to spend time on a book that is not compelling. If the reader is not engaged by the end of the first page of a story, they will […]