Enticing the Muse by Carol Robbins I envy writers who say “It just came to me, the whole book. All I had to do was write it down.” From what I hear, that doesn’t happen for many of us. The muse is illusive, sometimes staying away no matter how desperately we long for a visit. …

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Researching Everything under the Sun! by S.L. Smith Few things turn me off faster than books with factual errors. I tend to put them down—permanently. For that reason, it’s important I get it right. If I don’t know it, I research it. I’m talking about the smallest details. Some of the research is almost as …

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We all have a story from the recent snow storm that took Alabama and Georgia by surprise.  This is my tale retold with gratitude: Ice, Snow and a Caring Community Is this email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser. Like on Facebook Follow on Twitter Forward to a Friend Follow on Instagram Find …

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REVENGE! EXORCIZING BAD MEMORIES THROUGH YOUR WRITING by Grace Topping All of us have them. Those pesky, uncomfortable memories that make us blanch, screech, moan, grimace, shudder, or cry. Thankfully, most of them are buried deep in our subconscious and don’t come to mind often. But when we least expect it, a scent of cologne, …

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Revision –A Personal Story by Debra H. Goldstein When I stepped down from the bench, I fully intended to treat writing as a business. I was going to schedule a specific time of day for writing and not stop until I had completed a mandatory word count. Once I wrote first drafts of stories and …

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Using Words – A Not So Subtle Message by Debra H. Goldstein Communicating through words is what sets us apart from other species. Certainly gorillas, puppy dogs, and other animals communicate between themselves or with humans through looks, movements, and sounds, but the use of words to convey meaning distinguishes us. Words can be spoken, …

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First fiction for this reporter:Finding the truth inside the story by Jackie Romine Walburn Until starting my first and still-to-be-published novel, this lifelong professional writer- reporter-turned-corporate communications manager had never written a word of fiction. So, how did a reporter switch from journalistic rules of “just the facts” and “accuracy, accuracy, accuracy” to making things …

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Five Days to Make a Sitcom and Solve a Murder by Sally Carpenter A mystery writer starting a novel has the perplexing task of structure—what events will happen and in what order. Plotters will painstakingly map out each plot point, sometimes on index cards or sticky notes that are endlessly shuffled. Pansters will dive in, hoping …

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Dickens Knew How to Say It or It Has Been One of Those Weeks by Debra H. Goldstein “It was the best of times. It was the worst of times” is how Charles Dickens began a A Tale of Two Cities. His words definitely describe my past few weeks. Some of the high points included everyone being …

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Everything Becomes A Story by Debra H. Goldstein What do you get when you add two type “A” mothers, a would-be bride and groom, and two somewhat laid back dads?  Answer:  Some Mamazilla moments, a couple who describe their wedding as “awesome,” and two still somewhat laid back dads with emptier pockets. What do you …

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