Category: Writing as a Craft
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Writer’s Shop Talk: Copyrights and Writer’s Block: My Saturday Saga
Early Afternoon, Sunday, February 9, 2025, Miami, Florida “Stories have to be told or they die, and when they die, we can’t remember who we are or why we’re here.”– Sue Monk Kidd My Not-So-Restful Saturday Although I began yesterday as one of my two days off from work, I found myself preoccupied with thinking…
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Officially Copyrighted: My Novella’s Journey to the Library of Congress
Mid-Morning, Sunday, February 9, 2025, Miami, Florida Well, folks. It’s official. My novella, Reunion: A Story is copyrighted. I’m excited to share that I received my Certificate of Copyright from the Library of Congress’s Copyright Office yesterday afternoon! It’s hard to believe it’s only been a little over a month since I applied to register…
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Writer’s Shop Talk: Discussing the End of Chapter 24 of Reunion: Coda in the Chill of a Miami Morning
Mid-Morning, Thursday, February 6, 2025, Miami, Florida “After nourishment, shelter, and companionship, stories are the thing we need most in the world.” ― Philip Pullman It’s a bit past 6:30 on a chilly – by Florida standards, at any rate – morning here in Miami. It’s still dark outside, and the temperature is a “brisk” 69°F…
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Writer’s Shop Talk: Mastering the Craft: Progress Update on Writing ‘Reunion: Coda’ Chapter 24
Late Morning, Wednesday, February 5, 2025, Miami, Florida “Writing isn’t about making money, getting famous, getting dates, getting laid, or making friends. In the end, it’s about enriching the lives of those who will read your work, and enriching your own life, as well. It’s about getting up, getting well, and getting over. Getting happy,…
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The Writer’s Grind: Triumphs and Trials of Crafting ‘Reunion: Coda’
Early Afternoon, February 1, 2025, Miami, Florida Yesterday marked the end of my regular workweek as a first-time novelist. Despite my high hopes and good intentions, it was less productive than anticipated, especially concerning Reunion: Coda. My morning began with writing my daily blog post, followed by a refreshing midday break. Determined to make headway,…
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Book Review: ‘How to Write a Romance: Or, How to Write Witty Dialogue, Smoldering Love Scenes & Happily Ever Afters’
How to Write a Romance: Or, How to Write Witty Dialogue, Smoldering Love Scenes & Happily-Ever-Afters (2019) By: The Editors at Avon Books Publisher: Morrow Gift, an imprint of William Morrow Although I’m not a romance novelist, I find myself diving into the delicate art of crafting love stories within my novel, Reunion: Coda. While…
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Writer’s Shop Talk: When Creativity Takes a Break – The Power of Revisions
Late Morning, Friday, January 31, 2025, Miami, Florida As a writer, producing my best work is both my passion and my process. I often take my sweet time with writing, whether it’s a blog post like this one or diving into my current project, Reunion: Coda. My quirky method involves editing as I go, rather…
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Writer’s Shop Talk: Overcoming Writer’s Block and Riding the Wave of Creativity
Late Morning, Thursday, January 30, 2025, Miami, Florida “Writer’s block results from too much head. Cut off your head. Pegasus, poetry, was born of Medusa when her head was cut off. You have to be reckless when writing. Be as crazy as your conscience allows.” ― Joseph Campbell, A Joseph Campbell Companion: Reflections on the…
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A Day in the Life of a Writer: Battling Writer’s Block
Midday, Wednesday, January 29, 2025, Miami, Florida “Writer’s block is akin to a “vacancy” sign; if you wait long enough they will eventually fill.” ― Nanette L. Avery Well, Constant Reader, it happened again. Instead of mapping out—much less writing—a new scene for Reunion: Coda’s 24th chapter (I include the novel’s prologue as a chapter),…
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Writer’s Shop Talk: Winging It vs. Mapping It: A Writer’s Journey from Chaos to Clarity
Midday, Sunday, January 26, 2025, Miami, Florida In the world of writing, there are two primary camps: planners and pantsers. Planners meticulously outline their stories, mapping out each plot point and character arc before they ever write a single word. Pantsers, on the other hand, fly by the seat of their pants, allowing the story…
A Certain Point of View, Too 