Starlog

  • Biggest Mistakes New Writers Make #5 Giving up too soon

    This is the last post on “Biggest Mistakes, and I think it is the most important.  Take a deep breath, and read slowly and carefully. At a recent NJ Author’s talk on “Getting Published” (scroll down below for the list of authors), the authors discussed the biggest mistakes they think new writers make. This is… Read more

  • How to Write a Really Great Novel: The FUNNIEST EVER (And Maybe Best) Review

    Yes, he is reviewing a novel, but WHO CARES! The Monomaniacal Middle Grade Reviewer goes off on a tangent starting at about 1:05 on how to write a great novel, and then goes in-depth around 1:59 about what makes a good action scene, and then again at 3:35 on how to write a great action scene.… Read more

  • Flash Fiction Friday on Wednesday – Fireworks

    Let’s do ten minutes today, since I am totally unprepared.  It’s the fourth of July, so let’s think about fireworks.  Go! John’s grip tightened on my wrist as he pulled me up the slope.  A tree branch snagged my sweater. “Slow down,” I shouted. “Come on,” John laughed.  “We’re almost there.” The dried leaves on… Read more

  • Road to Publication #6: The Dreaded Line Edits. Yes, it is as bad as everyone says.

    When the email containing the line edits popped up from my publisher, my stomach sank.  Here it was, two weeks or so after I submitted my final MS to them.  This is the part that all writers dread. I didn’t open the email for a while.  I calmly responded to everything else that was in… Read more

  • Six Sentence Sunday

    It’s Six sentence Sunday! This is something I stumbled over while trolling through blogs one day.  What a fun idea!  You can post six sentences of whatever you want.  I thought of doing my fifth grade report on butterflies, but I couldn’t get to the box in the attic.  (It’s 101 degrees where I am,… Read more

  • Hob-Nobbing: Having the chance to speak with other authors

    A neat thing happened the other day.  I was included, with a long list of others, in an email from a multiple-published author that I have done very moderate social networking with. The email itself is not important.  What was neat is I looked over the list of other people who were copied.  Hmmm… She’s… Read more