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Rules of Engagement for Writers

Rules of Engagement for Writers

My father died last week. The Colonel was the one family and friends invariably went to for advice, and he was always more than happy to hand out his own brand of wisdom, battle-tested in combat and inspired by his personal holy trinity of Jesus, Patton, and Napoleon...

When All Else Fails… PLOT JUMPSTARTERS

When All Else Fails… PLOT JUMPSTARTERS

“When in doubt, have a man come through a door with a gun in his hand.” --Raymond Chandler Whether you outline first or simply plunge in by the seat of your pants, there may come a time when you realize your story engine is failing and you need a jumpstart, fast,...

On Writing A Book Series

On Writing A Book Series

Keeping a series fresh and fun is a challenge—and it does not get any easier. As I sit down to write Book Four in my Mercy Carr series, I find myself rethinking everything I’ve learned about writing a series so far—often the hard way—and reminding myself of key take-aways:

A Writer’s Gratitude Journal

A Writer’s Gratitude Journal

This year, finding the silver lining in what often seems like an endless sky crowded with darkening clouds may be difficult, but as writers we are blessed in many ways. Just being a writer is in and of itself a blessing. Holding on to that understanding can be tough...

Writing Lessons from the Garden

Writing Lessons from the Garden

During this wild and crazy pandemic year I planted my first potager garden. Something I’d always planned to do but finally managed to pull off. Like writing my first novel. I learned a lot, and a lot of what I learned applied to writing as well as gardening. You amend...

Take the Thick Skin Test

Take the Thick Skin Test

With the summer now officially over, we all go back into school mode, sharpening our pencils and our plots, renewing our commitment to writing. As artists we never stop learning, and many of us take advantage of the many conferences, workshops, classes, critique...

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