The secret to success in any creative venture, column writing included, is finding your own voice and sharing your unique view of the world. But being original is tricky these days — especially now that we’re all exposed to so many other voices, trends, and ideas. Google any topic online, and you’ll find scores of articles, poems, essays, blog posts,…
Read More
“Because it’s known as a novel tool, I approached it from the standpoint of using it for Memoir and family history.” What is Scrivener? Scrivener is a writing software that helps writers organize research, notes, and drafts, or, as Scrivener puts it, “See the forest or the trees.” It can even help with story-boarding. Note: This review is based on Scrivener 1 for…
Read More
It started with a tweet. That’s how I got a publisher’s contract for my historical novel Celestina’s Burnings. Sounds crazy, I know, but Twitter is a great resource for writers. It’s easy and a great way to get your pitch seen by the publishing world. Agents, editors and publishers are all over the website, searching for their next book. I…
Read More
As a long-time Detroiter, one who is further (sometimes uncomfortably) compelled to write about her own life, it’s only natural that various aspects of Detroit seep into a great number of my personal essays/creative nonfiction and poetry. Sometimes Motown serves as a living, breathing background, the canvas upon which my own life stories play out, as is the case with…
Read More
Flash fiction and flash nonfiction stories are often called “Stories of the Moment” or “Postcard Stories.” Think small, but fun, significant, and engaging. The challenge with flash form writing is how to write a compelling story that feels complete when you only have about 750 words to get the job done. One thing I like to use when I’m…
Read More
By: Sarah Shoemaker I’m sitting in my monthly book discussion group, and we are talking about Jane Eyre (every year we discuss one classic novel). The talk surrounds me, sometimes quite heated: what are we to make of Mr. Rochester? We all agree that Jane is independent, with a strong moral compass—so what is there about this man who is…
Read More
by Veronica Dale My friend Bob, who writes delightful comedy, once asked me why I write dark fantasy. I explained it was because I didn’t want to gloss over the fact that in real life bad things happen. But, I said, my books are also full of hope and always lead to a light at the end of the tunnel….
Read More
By Diane DeCillis The editors of Poetry Foundation wrote that “In the last 100 years, perhaps no other artistic medium has provided more fodder for poetry than the cinema. Movies have become central to the poetic imagination, whether the poet celebrates the movies or reacts against celluloid saturation.” There are various aspects of a film that can inspire the making…
Read More
