A member of my critique group is wondering if creating a pseudonym for certain genres would bring better sales. That same author is itching to write in more than one genre at the same time, under the same name. Here are some thoughts to consider. If you have an uninspiring name for the type of…
Category: General Interest
The Summer of Jack
For most Americans of a certain age, the summer of 1968 is viewed as a kind of dark chasm that yawned between the Summer of Love and the Summer of Woodstock. It was, after all, the summer of Martin, the summer of Bobby. Of My Lai and Biafra. It marked the rise of Nixon and…
Crafting a Killer Title
Since I’m between drafts on my novel-in-progress, I’ve been working on a lot of short stories lately. Besides honing my writing skills, the experience has given me new appreciation for an oft-overlooked element of the short story: the title. It may be the smallest part of the story, but the title gives the biggest first…
Words Matter
As a mere child, I’d cut letters from words to make more words. For example, from the title of this blog, Words Matter: matt, rat, as, word, sword, words, matter, toward, wad, or, more, war, roar, stat, at, dot, draw, date, mate, rate, ate, watt, smart. Then, I’d form silly sentences: Draw Matt as a…
Writing Romance: A Word About Sex
Hello Campers, Last month I promised to take a side trip here and discuss – ahem – sex. Is sex necessary in a romance novel? That’s a huge question. Before I move into the real discussion, I’ll point out that my romances do not have sex in them. That is a personal decision I made,…