Recently, I’ve read that it takes 10,000 hours to become a master at anything. That means that we need to read (like writers) and write for 10,000 hours to build a foundation from which to launch our art. How much reading and writing do you do?
Tagged 10000 hours, art, foundation, master, read, reading, write, writingIt’s a relief to say that we have a new president-elect in the USA . Big sigh of relief! Maybe now I won’t be considered a traitor when I disagree with him. [tongue in cheek] The writing’s been slow these past months. Making a big move has taken all my attention and energy. Although I […]
Tagged politics, screenplay, stories, The Starter Wife, writingAs a firm believer in working on our strengths, instead of our weaknesses, I also believe that a positive mental attitude carries us farther. Recently, my positive attitude has been sorely tested. We’re working to make a big change in our lives and I’ve become fatigued. Not tired. Fatigued. Mind numbing. Thought swallowing. Brain wading […]
Tagged anguish, body, brain, fatigue, Giacomo Leopardi, positive, positive thinking, reading, strengths, weaknesses, writingHave you ever wondered what an editor, agent, publisher really wants in a story? Do you have story ideas that seem great in the moment, but become just like everyone else’s? Is your story a cliche? If so, you’re not alone. We all come up with a plot that has conflict. Conflict has only three […]
Tagged Add new tag, agent, agents, blog, blogging, conflict, editor, editors, plot, publisher, publishers, writer, writersA couple of months ago, the managing editor of Flashing Swords Magazine asked for volunteers to read submitted stories. The magazine publishes mostly Sword and Sorcery (SS) stories, so I was very interested. The editor sent me a story to review and comment on, and I sent her my comments. After that, I was on […]
I’m writing a novel. Oh, yes. Just like everyone else. My novel is a hybrid of mystery and thriller. There is a mystery at the core of the story, but there’s a lot of action before it’s solved. Like all good mysteries, the plot needs to take the reader to different places before the mystery […]
Tagged BPM, business process mapping, mystery, plot, plot line, process mapping, thriller, writingI won second place in a short story competition! Woo hoo!! This story is a flash fiction piece named Of Spiders and Monsters. The theme for the contest was “snowbound.” Since the magazine is all about science fiction, fantasy, and horror (with fantastic elements), I wrote about what a human mind does during extreme isolation. […]
This blog is the ongoing account of my writing career. Coming to this career later in life – I’m no eighteen year old wonder – it’s both easier and harder than I thought it would be. For me, the easy part is coming up with story ideas. The hard part is creating the vessel to […]