Straight talk from the sisters about blood, sweat and ink
As summer ends and thoughts of autumn come to mind I take a page from Heather’s blog. Having worked in the education field for thirty-three years and been a student for nearly my entire life before that, I always think of September as a time of beginnings. I’ve just finished a new novel and know …
Continue reading “Writing the Perfect Query, Again”
I’ve just completed a new project and something’s been niggling at me. It’s set in The Hamptons, a well-known playground for the rich and famous. Specifically, the town of East Hampton, generally considered to be the “Best Hampton” (Sorry, Southampton) as opposed to where I used to live, Westhampton, described on the TV show, Royal …
Continue reading “Libelous Liabilities”
I awoke the other morning at around eight and my pulse rate instantly spiked. No, I wasn’t having sex, nor had I just awakened from a night terror, I’d simply flicked on the Today Show. My pulse usually languishes for about an hour or so because I never seem to be able to drag my …
Continue reading “The Anti-Feminism Movement: Confusing the Issues”
Last week I wrote about the vitality that male crit partners bring to your writing process. I admitted to my prejudices, that I thought men were mostly into political thrillers, sports biographies, and the like, and hinted that I was shocked to discover how many men were avid readers of romance novels; and a significant …
Continue reading “Trashing Romance Novels: Why?”
The topic of Point of View came up among The Sisters this week and I decided to take a closer look at this important literary device. Point of view is the lens through which the writer (or the narrator voice) tells the story. Think of it as the lens in a movie camera, standing back …
Continue reading “Point of View: When Your Voice is Not Your Own”
Nancy Drew had a huge influence on my growth as a young woman, and something I’d totally overlooked until recently. A number of powerful and successful women have cited her as a role model, and in the 1950s, something we sorely needed. I can show you excerpts from Home Economics text books encouraging us to …
Continue reading “The Secret Ghosts of Nancy Drew”
As an educator for forty years, I heard many teachers complain that the kids weren’t the same any more. They had short attention spans, and if you weren’t “entertaining” them you’d lose them. Many blamed television and video games and of course there was the generally agreed upon lack of respect for authority. The kids …
Continue reading “A Lesson From Mary Poppins: Dosing Out Description”
By the time you read this, I’ll be planted on the sandy white beaches of Montauk Point. If you’ve never been to Long Island, New York, you’ve missed out on one of the most spectacular stretches of oceanfront in the world. Yes, that’s what I said…the world. I’ve been on many a vacation where people …
Continue reading “Happily Ever After? I Hope So!”
Last week I tackled the slithery little element of fiction writing called voice, which inadvertently led me into the equally slippery area of style. And don’t get me started on tone. I’m not sure that even warrants a discussion. When I consider style, my thoughts immediately go to fashion. I’ve often been told I’m a …
Continue reading “A Matter of Style”
A while back, I touched on voice and I thought I might explore this essential writing element more fully. I did a little hunting and decided, in terms of creative writing, voice has two meanings by most standards: the author’s style, conveying her attitudes, personality, and the quality that makes her writing unique; and characteristic …
Continue reading “Voice: Feel Me Hear Me”