In the early years of my writing career, a magazine editor gently chastised me for using weak verbs in the article I’d submitted. “Use lively verbs,” he told me. Lively verbs? What the heck did that mean? I searched through my article again. Sure enough, most of the verbs I’d used were passive and emotionless….
All week, I’ve balked at writing my monthly blog post, likely because my day job drains my creative reserves. Luckily, I realized my best option was to steer into the skid and write on this very topic! I doubt many of us often grapple with the basic “what to write about at all” problem. But…
Creative Endurance. David Yoon suggests creative endurance can be cultivated. “Grit is not a personality trait or a special skill. It’s not even all that special. Anyone can have grit because grit is simply a set of good habits.” Some excellent suggestions here. Getting Unstuck. Love these tips from Janice Hardy for how to get…
A writer friend once told me if you’re writing a sad scene and it doesn’t make you cry, you’re not doing it right. If you’re writing a humorous passage and it doesn’t make you laugh, you’re not doing it right. Wise words. I would add, if you’re writing suspense and you’re not anxious, you’re not…
The living might be easy, but the writing . . . not so much. Perhaps because I am a writer of horror and mystery, I prefer a melancholy atmosphere—dreary weather and short, dark days—for holing up with my laptop to create twisty stories. When the pools open, the barbeques belch smoke and the drinks don…