Finding Your Voice: Plotter or Pantser by James M. Jackson Every author is told to “find your voice,” as though they left it under the hydrangea in the side yard. I suggest that if you write enough, your voice will find you. Voice is what comes naturally to you: the cadence of your sentences, the […]

Malice Domestic – Hope to See You There by Debra H. Goldstein Normally, I post thoughts about writing or personal thoughts I hope capture your interest, but this is the week of Malice Domestic. For once, I’m overwhelmed getting everything ready to go.  Because this is a fan and author conference, I hope to see […]

Instructing a Creative Writing Workshop by Judy Penz Sheluk I was recently approached to instruct a one-day Creative Writing Workshop at my town’s Arts Council. Now, for three years, I was a Creative Writing tutor for an online writing school, so I did have some experience, but the school provided the content. My role was […]

Past and Present by Debra H. Goldstein Do you remember when telephones rang? When rotary dialed objects sat on a table or hung on a wall made a ring sound? Was it that long ago before we relied on phones that fit in our purses or pockets and have individualized ringtones? I didn’t think it […]

Knowing When to Say “The End” by Debra H. Goldstein Five days ago, I typed the words “The End” at the conclusion of eighty thousand plus other words I wrote during the past few months. I rejoiced. Those eighty thousand plus words were probably more like one hundred plus words because on one day, I […]

It All Starts with the Subconscious by Kathryn Lane A recurring question I’m asked when I speak at book clubs is whether I plot the entire novel before I start writing. I usually respond by defining the two basic types of writers – detailed plotters or fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pantstypes. Once I’ve decided to begin a new book […]

My favorite shirt is torn. The minute the dryer buzzed, I stopped what I was doing and went to retrieve my shirt, so it wouldn’t wrinkle. I pulled it out, shook it, hung it, and saw the pinprick sized hole at the edge of the pocket. Perhaps it was a spot? No, a hole going […]

The Pinocchio Process by Warren Moore I’ve been writing since before I knew how to write – no, really. There are reel-to-reel tapes of a three-year-old me reciting songs and stories. My dad asks, “Did you make that up?” I say I did, and he says, “Pretty weird, kid.” It really hasn’t changed too much […]

Plotter or Pantser? What’s Your Style? I Think I’m a Binge Writer by Heather Weidner Thank you so much for letting me stop by for a visit on your blog. I love to talk about books and writing. Writers usually fall into one of two camps, plotters (those who plan, plot, and outline before writing), and […]

The End Of Our Thanksgiving by Debra H. Goldstein Thanksgiving week at the Goldstein’s house is coming to an end. The last child will be flying out tonight. The first one arrived last Tuesday. In between, a total of twelve people and one grand-dog descended on us. As parents, we will miss them and look […]