Back Story: Why is it Important?

What is a back story and why is it important? Many authors are excited to get into the nuts and bolts of the story and often skip this very important step. I would argue it’s more important sometimes than others. If you are writing a nonfiction, back story doesn’t really come into play. If you […]

Writing for Young Adults

[siteorigin_widget class=”SiteOrigin_Widget_Slider_Widget”][/siteorigin_widget] Writing for Young Adults I recently took a workshop led by Jessica Grace Kelley and Hannah Capin about writing for young adults. Both Jessica and Hannah have published young adult fiction and had a lot to offer to the class. First thing to realize is that Young Adult is not a genre, it’s […]

Telephone Tuesday

Telephone Tuesday Today is Telephone Tuesday. They truly have a day for everything!How does this relate to writing? Most phones these days have cameras. Pictures can be a great inspiration: a perfect scene that is begging to be described in one of your books; a fun quote posted on a bulletin board or at a […]

Conjunctions Reborn

Chicago Manual Style – Conjunctions This is a fun bit of trivia I wish I could go back and show my high school English teacher: according to the Chicago Manual of Style 5.206, it’s okay to begin a sentence with a conjunction. A conjunction is a joiner, typically of two sentences or thoughts—and, but, however, […]

Commas, Commas, and more Commas

Chicago Manual Style – Time So how do you do with commas? I think I’m pretty good most of the time. It took me a while to adjust between the military writing style using American Psychological Association and the Chicago Manual of Style (CMS) used in novels.You may have heard that it’s optional to put […]

Time According to Chicago Manual of Style

Chicago Manual Style – Time Am I the only one that gets confused by 12 a.m. and 12 p.m.? Probably not, which is why the Chicago Manual Style suggests always using the terms noon and midnight to avoid misunderstandings (CMS 9.39). That will make my life much easier. The book has a lot of helpful […]

Chicago Manual of Style

Chicago Manual Style The Chicago Manual of Style is an essential guide for writers, editors, and publishers…and word geeks. I turn to this 1,000+ page reference guide often as I’m writing or editing to look up the approved way of formatting or abbreviating something. But I get lost in the interesting facts that probably only […]

Notebook

[siteorigin_widget class=”SiteOrigin_Widget_Slider_Widget”][/siteorigin_widget] Notebook In my 28 years in the Air Force, I saw many Army officers carrying notebooks. And not any notebook; it was typically a green hardback that could fit in their cargo pants pocket. I never understood the draw. Kevin Kruse, Author of 15 Secrets Successful People Know about Time Management, finally explained […]

The Procrastination Buster

[siteorigin_widget class=”SiteOrigin_Widget_Slider_Widget”][/siteorigin_widget] The Procrastination Buster My weakness is Gummy Drop. No, not a sugary treat. It’s a computer game that one of my sisters got me hooked on. I always laughed at people that played those silly games. Until I got to the upper levels. Now I justify it by saying it does take strategy […]

15 Secrets…Your Most Important Thing

[siteorigin_widget class=”SiteOrigin_Widget_Slider_Widget”][/siteorigin_widget] With apologies to Kevin Kruse, author of 15 Secrets Successful People Know about Time Management, I am going to put my own spin on his most excellent book. The second thing he talked about is determining your Most Important Thing. Determine what the most important thing is that you need to get accomplished […]

Time Management with Kevin Kruse

  15 Secrets of Successful People Know about Time Management 1 1,440 Minutes I am a member of the Williamsburg Business Networking group. We are not a typical networking group whose primary goal is to expand reach using new business leads from other members. Yes, we do pass each other leads when appropriate, but more […]

Getting the word out-Author Series

Getting the word out-Author Series Blue Dragon has pulled together a group of authors local to the Hampton Roads, VA area to form the Author Series. We give talks to book clubs, schools, timeshares, and housing communities. Part of being an author is making your own opportunities. My husband and I own a timeshare (vacation […]

Twitter Contests for Writers

Twitter Contests for writers. A dream come true. A while back I wrote about finding a literary agent on Twitter. WritersDigest.com has an article on this topic that you should check out if you have a finished manuscript in search of an agent. Here are the upcoming contests from Twitter they list: April 5: #AdPit […]