We’ve all gotten that one assignment that makes us scratch our heads, try to push down sobs of defeat, and drop our heads on our desks in agony at the trials of life. But no matter what the subject is, how ambiguously the instructions are worded, and how clueless we are on where to begin, here […]
Wise Guy Contest Winner: It’s Just True
Seeing your parents kiss is like rubbing on hand lotion–it’s disgusting, but it’s good for you.” ~Charity Rankin This, folks, is the winning submission of our first ever Wise Guy contest! I promise there was no sibling bias involved. She just made me laugh out loud…which she does quite frequently. Charity has a knack for making people–including […]
Keeping it Real – Adding the Right (write!) Details
Which of these is more intriguing: “Sally wore red shoes”, or “Sally’s converse, once bright crimson but now dingy maroon, dropped flakes of mud with each step she took, making a mess and hinting at adventures of times past”? Details hint at untold stories. Readers like stories. Stories well told keep readers hooked. So how […]
Writing: What You Can Know
So they say you have to write what you know. In our last post, we came to the conclusion that we actually know more than we thought, which is good. But still, is it enough to write about an epic journey into outer space? Or about a prima ballerina in the School of American Ballet? […]
A quick, shameless plug
Okay, so I have to boost this book a bit: Roget’s Thesaurus of Words for Intellectuals. You may have noticed it is the source of the last two weekly words (or not…I usually don’t notice that kind of stuff). It is awesome. It is a great resource for writers for several reasons. First, it has an […]
Write What I Know? Do I Have to?
“Write what you know.” When I was younger and people told me this, I felt so stifled. I wasn’t a world traveller going on adventures. I wasn’t a cowgirl, an astronaut, or an archaeologist (still not). It seemed like the worst advice ever. But it’s actually the most important writing advice I’ve ever heard. It […]
