“Write from the heart.” ~~B. Lynn Goodwin (and many others, I’m sure) A Smorgasbord of Writing Advice EDITOR’S NOTE: Respected San Francisco literary agent Michael Larsen is one of the judges in this year’s writing contest run by Women’s National Book Association. Submissions closed recently. Since I am the administrator I recently sent Michael
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Summer 2021 ~~ Writing Advice
“Spread Social Media Love.” ~~ Debra Eckerling Support, Support, Support When I read Debra Eckerling’s article, “7 Ways Authors Can Support Their Author Friends: Kindled Spirits” I knew I had to share it with you. It’s full of ways you can support others, and when you offer your health, most will reciprocate. The abbreviated version
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Spring 2021 Writing Advice
“The only people who see the whole picture are those who step out of the frame.” ~~Salman Rushdie Writing Advice from Hillary Hauck Hilary Hauck’s publicist approached me about reviewing her book. My stack of reading material is quite tall, but I took here up on another offer: an article about her work. Read
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Winter 2021 ~~Writing Advice
“Take a risk. Meet the characters inside yourself.” ~~B. Lynn Goodwin– used in a brochure for a class she used to teach called A is for Acting. Why Enter Writing Contests? You polish your writing, imagining your audience. You read it over. Out loud. Does it say exactly what you want it to say?
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Fall 2020 Writing Advice
“Write everything in a Facebook post, or in an email, or in a tweet to the masses never sent.” ~~Leonora Desar Special thanks to Leonora Desar. I met this wonderful writer in one of Meg Pokrass’s Flash Fiction classes. The piece below originally appeared in New Flash Fiction Review in mid-September 2020. The narrator’s
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Summer 2020 — Writing Advice
“I write only because there is a voice within me that will not be still.” ~~Sylvia Plath Tips for Giving Feedback in Nonfiction Writing Groups https://brevity.wordpress.com/2020/06/22/tips-for-giving-feedback-in-nonfiction-writing-groups/#comment-119323 This insightful article, written by Sue Hann, is shared with permission. Respect each other’s privacy. Although someone might be writing about very personal things, this does not
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Spring 2020 — Writing Advice — Journaling in the Time of a Pandemic
Sentence Starts – Journaling in the Time of a Pandemic Since our bodies are confined but our minds are not, I’d like to share these sentence starts with you in case you could use a writing nudge as we shelter in place. I’ve been creating these writing prompts since 2004, then writing about
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Winter 2020 — Writing Advice: Twenty-one Questions: A Non-Traditional Rubric for Judges
Twenty-one Questions: A Non-Traditional Rubric for Judges By B. Lynn Goodwin Want an inside look at what contest judges are looking for? Last spring I was putting together a rubric for a contest held by the Northern California Branch of the Women’s National Book Association. I was working with others and sent them
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Flashy and Wise Writing Advice for Fall 2019
“Trust the reader.” — Meg Pokrass Flashy Tips by Meg Pokrass Thank you Meg Pokrass for sharing these excellent tips for those who write flash fiction and memoir. Though you’ll always be able to find this on our blog page, we recommend that you bookmark this page and use it when you enter
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Fall 2019 — More Contests and Markets
There are so many contests and opportunities out there that it’s hard to keep track of what’s new and appealing. Want to help? Send your contest information–name of contest, URL, deadline, fee, and prizes, and we’ll post it as often as we can. From Writer’s Digest: https://www.writersdigest.com/writers-digest-competitions Popular Fiction Awards ENTER NOW!
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Insightful interviews with authors Judy Ringer and Malaka Gharib–Fall 2019
What a delight to have interviews with communications clarifier Judy Ringer and graphic novelist Malaka Gharib. While their books are totally different, I’ll bet you find commonalities in their advice. Clarity of Purpose Is conflict in the workplace inevitable? Possibly. It happens almost everywhere. When strife interferes with work, with projects, with personal relations and
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Writing Advice for Summer 2019
“You don’t start out writing good stuff. You start out writing crap and thinking it’s good stuff, and then gradually you get better at it. That’s why I say one of the most valuable traits is persistence.” ― Octavia E. Butler Getting Unstuck: Short and Simple Tips -– Summer 2019 Here are some quick tips
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