Author: Ann Gordon

A former English and Computer Science teacher, a technical writer, copy editor and instructional designer. She has a B.A. in English and a Masters in Computer Science. She’s currently semi-retired. Ann has written and published short stories and lots of articles, along with plenty of technical docs. She has also co-authored and/or copy-edited six historical fiction books, self-published on Amazon, and she is a webmaster for five websites. She’s won writing awards in most categories, including flash fiction. She wrote her first stories in elementary school and continued writing fiction until she was twenty, when she had to stop writing to make a living and raise a family. She’s been a member of RMFW for years and attends the Western Slope meetings when she can. She is president of the online chapter of the League of Utah Writers; her chapter has a large critique group. She lives in a dusty, windy desert town in SE Utah.

in medias res

Posted on December 31, 2022January 10, 2023 by Ann Gordon

The Latin phrase, in medias res, means “in the middle of things.” Some famous stories have been written with this technique. On the first page readers find themselves right in the middle of intrigue, disaster, war, crime—some heart-pounding situation—with nothing leading up to it, as if the reader just fell from the sky to land…

What I’ve Learned from Writing about Ghosts

Posted on September 13, 2022January 10, 2023 by Ann Gordon

Although I’ve never encountered one, the possibility of seeing or sensing a ghost has intrigued me since I was a child. After my father died, I could swear I’d just seen him on a crowded sidewalk. Or I’d think I recognized him in a store or on a street, talking to someone or briefly looking…

I’ll Keep Penning Short Reads

Posted on April 12, 2022April 12, 2022 by Ann Gordon

For years I’ve wondered how I’ll ever be considered a serious author if I can only complete short stories. I belong to several writing groups where most members proudly mention how many books they’ve published, or how close they are to finishing their second book, or their third, or their ninth. Wisely I don’t join the…

Helping your Readers Believe

Posted on March 9, 2022March 9, 2022 by Ann Gordon

According to Wikipedia, “Speculative fiction is a broad category of fiction with elements that do not exist in reality, recorded history, nature, or the present universe.” This brings me the heart of my article: How can authors get their readers to believe in a chimerical world that does not (and likely cannot) exist in reality?…

Tips for completing my novel this year

Posted on August 25, 2021August 23, 2021 by Ann Gordon

I’m a writer who can’t seem to stay with a project long enough to complete a whole novel. I’ve determined to finish at least one of my languishing projects before 2022; to that end, I composed a list of 20 tips for getting it done. Develop a writing routine—even a loose and flexible writing routine…