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Blog postJust ran across this most relevant article “50 Self-Care Tips for Writers”by Pauline Wiles. Even if you aren’t a writer, they apply across the board. But I’d like to add one more tip:
Don’t take yourself so seriously!
You're NOT king of the hill! I honestly believe most of our stress in any situation comes from focusing too much on ourselves, and writers are some of the worst offenders. I’d love to find a writers group wit -
Blog postOkay, so it’s Valentine Day, the day for lovers everywhere. To mark the occasion, here’s a brief excerpt from Ruthann’s War. Not graphic (I don’t write graphic), not hot, just a warm, fuzzy look at the (unexpected) growing love between Drew and Ruthann.
“I never had a high school sweetheart. Maybe that’s why Jack swept me off my feet.” “We can be swept off our feet for many reasons. It happened to me, too, but that’s another story. Right now I’d just like to hear you say you -
Blog postIn Ruthann’s War, I briefly sketch the heroine’s wartime service in a munitions factory while her fiance flew bombing runs over Germany. When she realized he wasn’t coming home, and when her job ended, she had to move on to the profession she’d trained for—teaching school. She, like so many others, had fought their own war at home. I thought you might enjoy some facts about women in the workforce during World War II.
By 1945, 37% of the American work -
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Blog postWorld War II is over.
Can Ruthann fight one more battle for the man she loves?
I’ve been busy this week working on my website and decided while I was at it to do a promo for one of my books. Now, why I would try to do two time-consuming, labor-intensive things at once is anybody’s guess. In short, it’s been a killer week. At least it’s done—until the next needed update and promotion. The latter is at least a month off, thank goodness, and the website desig -
Blog postPlease visit The Word Place now published on my website.
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Blog postNo, I’m still where I’ve been since retiring in 2007 (only it’s more crowded with the addition of two spoiled rotten kitties, of course), but The Word Place is moving. Why? There are several reasons. First, the link to Blogspotis coming up as “not secure”, and there are people who understandably don’t continue. Whenever I click on a link and get a warning, I’m outta there! Why this is happening, I don’t know, but I hate to lose potential viewers.
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Blog post
Back in the fall I announced I planned a self-taught course on criminal justice. The introductory textbook gave me a good overview of the subject, so now I’m into specific topics. Two books from the shelf are in the crosshairs for this part of the journey.
The first, Police Procedure and Investigation: A Guide for Writers, is authored by Lee Lofland, whose personal experience as a police investigator, police academy instructor, and founde -
Blog postHaving long ago made the decision that I had neither the inclination—nor the budget—to have a professionally designed website, I’ve muddled through thus far. Regular—oh, all right, occasional—tweaks have kept me rolling along. Now it’s time to grease the wheel yet again. Recently I ran across what I thought was a particularly good article on author websites. While many of her suggestions appear in other website how-to’s—they’re pretty standard—the way she presented every
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Blog postCall me old and set in my ways if you will, but lately I pick and choose my days for getting out of the house to do errands. It’s winter, folks. Cold. There are things out there I don’t want—flu, upper respiratory infections, the common cold to name a few. Plus, I just don’t like bundling up and braving the elements. Sunshine can change my mind but not often. So, when I make my weekly calendar, I note the high temperature predicted for each day and plan acco
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Blog post
So I finally figured out what was wrong with my WIP, The Legacy of Diamond Springs: It’s too “busy”. Too many subplots, too many characters who aren’t true to form, too much talk and not enough action. Can I fix it? You bet! In fact, I’m ten chapters into doing just that. Some cutting and pasting, some small changes, some big changes, lots of unnecessary dialogue gone…it’s coming together! I’m averaging about 2K words per chapter, which is about righ -
Blog postIn light of everything that’s going on these days—and I’ve quit trying to keep up with it all—here are twenty words/phrases I wish I didn’t ever have to hear again. They’re so overused that they’ve lost their impact. They’re not talking pointsbut rather screaming points, and we all know we hear and understand the rationally spoken word much better than an incoherent rant.
It’s time to talk to each other again. Calmly. Rationally. Respecting our r -
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Blog postOne of the projects languishing on my computer is a rewrite of a novel published several years ago by small independent publisher. It was actually nominated for an editorial award, but it didn’t sell. When the contract expired, I asked for a reversion of the rights, which were restored without question. It’s a good premise—but the story lacks oomph. I see that now. So—it needs a rewrite and probably indie publishing. These pictures started it all:
I -
Blog postAnd the week is over and…so much for the “writing retreat”. It didn’t happen. Why not, you ask? Beats me. I had good intentions which simply didn’t translate into action. Would it have made a difference if I’d gone away somewhere? Probably. But I didn’t, and that’s that.
So what can I offer you here besides sour grapes? (Actually, they’re not so sour, and I don’t even feel guilty for not writing in light of what I have accomplished.)
How about -
Blog postAs of Day 3 of the official writing retreat week, I’ve accomplished—nothing. The Legacy of Diamond Springs languishes in the same state I left it on November 30.
I’ve done a few things around the house, kept the optometrist appointment rescheduled from last week, done some necessary errands in town, and even submitted a short story for (hopefully) publication.
Early this morning my son texted me that he would arrive at noon to do some “yard work”. I’m not sure what he thinks needs d -
Blog postThis was to be the much-anticipated writing retreat week during which I would get back to finishing the umpteenth rewrite (I’ve lost count of how many) of The Legacy of Diamond Springs. But as Robert Burns said so famously in “To a Mouse”, the best laid schemes o’ mice and men gang oft agley”.
I’d planned to drive a short distance to a state park and stay at the lodge. Making a reservation got rather convoluted, and then they wanted a 48-hour cancellation notice NOT to charge me a night’s -
Blog postMarketing and PromotionI post a lot of links about marketing on my Face Book Author Page—and I read some of them in depth. One interesting article differentiated between marketing and promotion in a way I finally understand: marketing happens before you publish; promotion happens afterwards. Makes sense. The Next StepBut then one is faced with the how-to of each. There are tons of promotional sites—some free, some reasonable, some totally out of reach for most authors. And, of
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Blog postAlways the agenda…Does everything writing-related have to have an agenda? Writers. Writing organizations. Writing places. If so, why? Are they afraid of missing the politically correct bandwagon and being left behind? Left behind where? Would that be so bad?
I understand many writers earn their living in the writing world, but would they earn that much less if they were without a politically correct agenda? Would they be blackballed from the profession? In today’s crazy world, who knows? -
Blog postWe all make New Year’s Resolutions—it’s just that we don’t always keep them! So here are 11—count them—terrific articles about making writing resolutions for yourself. I’m betting you can find a few you can actually keep!
6 Writing Resolutions for 2019
2019 New Year’s Resolutions for Writers: To Thine Own Work Be True
3 Ways to Get Back into Your Writing Routine
How to Create a Writing Schedule that Works for You
7 Useful Steps for Establishing a Writing Rout -
Blog postThe final tip I want to share from 129 Tips to Make You an Unstoppable Writer is:
MAPPING OUT A WRITING SCHEDULE
In the case of authors who already have books out there:
MAPPING OUT A WRITING AND MARKETING SCHEDULE.
I confess to falling short in both, but I’m determined to do better in 2019. It’s like being a plotter or a pantser—you have to do whatever works for you in your particular situation. Some people recommend getting up early and writing for several hours eac -
Blog postTip #25 of that terrific list 129 Tips to Make You an Unstoppable Writersuggests reading great writing.
And so we did when I went to school. None of this edgy stuff to make parents cringe and students believe the world is going to hell in a hand basket.
We read literature: American as high school juniors, English the following year. I must admit I didn’t like some of the American novels all that well, mostly because of their bleak settings (e.g. The Scarlet Letter), -
Blog postMore on 129 Tips…
Tip #36 just doesn’t work for me. Never has. Probably never will. It’s journaling.
Now, I keep a lot of notes related to stories I want to write someday. I tuck them away carefully in those wonderful little notebooks from Dollar Tree. (I can’t go into that store without buying several.)But journaling…
I’ve tried, believe me. Tried and failed more than once. It’s just not for me, and I can’t come up with a good reason except I’m not consistent. It’s like a hav -
Blog postHere’s a tipI’ve wrestled with: Write brilliant headlines.
You are talking to someone who can’t successfully write the title of a book the title of a blog labels for said blog captions on pictures/graphicswithout someone else weighing in.
So how does someone like me write brilliant headlines?
I’m not sure they (I) do. We press on. We try. We write and rewrite. We give up and post something mundane with no hook.
I’m willing to learn, but I suspect such profundity (get -
Blog postContinuing to think about the 129 Writing Tips, here’s a keeper: Use a thesaurus.
Anyone out there under 50 may not know what one is—or at least, the value of keeping one handy. Yes, yes, I know there are dictionaries and thesauruses online, but nothing beats the promise of a heavy volume in your hands!Teaching my granddaughters to use both in summer “Mimi School” is priority, especially after I realized neither one knew how to look up a word in the dictionary using the -
Blog postSpeaking of writing challenges (see Friday’s blog), here’s a bit more on NaNoWriMo. I took the challenge the first time in 2007, the year I retired. Unfortunately, a family tragedy finally brought my fingers to a halt. I’d lost heart and wasn’t going to regain it. But the next year...the next year I pressed forward and won!Click the link and look at the right side of the page to Read about itSee how it worksRead press releasesGet participant testimonials (besides mine)You can
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Blog postMore from...
129 Tips to Make You an Unstoppable Writer…
Start by subscribing to the blog Aspiring Quill which published this article back on March 26. Believe me, there is much, much more valuable information (and inspiration) at this site! I have a shortcut on my desktop.
Today’s tip…is to take up story challenges, whichI do on a regular basis. Of course, the first and probably most grueling is NaNoWriMoaka National Novel Writing Month where you are challenged to wri
Books By Judy Nickles
My First Year in the Classroom: 50 Stories That Celebrate the Good, the Bad, and the Most Unforgettable Moments
Jul 18, 2009
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Where Is Papa's Shining Star?
Apr 1, 2010
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A Very Kate Christmas
Nov 26, 2014
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