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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FROM EXPERIENCE TO MYSTERY by Judy Hogan Being seventy-six has so many advantages for a mystery novelist. I have all those experiences behind me, and in my case they were quite diverse. I’ve never earned a living writing, so besides being a teacher of creative writing, my second vocation writing is my first.  I’ve earned …

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FROM TEACHER TO AUTHOR:  An interview with Joanne Guidoccio… Tell us about your upcoming novel, Between Land and Sea. This contemporary version of The Little Mermaid offers hope and inspiration to anyone who has been dumped, deceived or demoted. It is the first in a trilogy about the Bella tribe of the Mediterranean kingdom. In …

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I DIDN’T KNOW I WAS GOING CRAZY….by Debra H. Goldstein I am the mother of twins.  My daughter slept through the night almost immediately.  My son functioned on two non-consecutive hours of sleep in a twenty-four hour period.  I thought I was using my time effectively putting a laundry in at 2 a.m. and changing …

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The One Thing That Defies Organization by Terry Shames With the lead-up to publication of my debut novel, A KILLING AT COTTON HILL, came months of unaccustomed work preparing for marketing and promotion. I had heard how much time and effort it took, but I was unprepared for the fact that everything else pretty much …

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Would We? Could We? by Debra H. Goldstein Picture a group of women sitting around a fireplace celebrating a special event in their lives.  Good food, friends, sips of wine, and conversation that slips from the present into the past.  While most share memories of happy times, children’s antics, and first romances, at some point in …

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Researching the Lowly Hot Dog by Judy Alter We all do a lot of research on setting and other things to make our novels accurate. For the Kelly O’Connell series I studied Craftsman design and the Craftsman movement, because Kelly is a real estate agent who specializes in restoring the priceless Craftsman houses in her …

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BSP AND BEING A WRITER by Debra H. Goldstein Creativity, diligence, networking, engaging in BSP, and a lot of luck characterize most successful writers.  Although a writer can’t predict luck, the other factors are all within a writer’s control. Every story, poem, or novel begins with an idea.  The key is whether the writer has …

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