@LucindaSMcDowel So, you’re not actually going back to school in a few days? Well, most of us are conditioned from childhood to view late August and early September as the second beginning of a new year. Whether or not your own household is gearing up for a new school year,…

@RamonaRichards OK . . . so I have a book coming out next month. And, yes, I have been doing this for a LONG time. I have survived the days of paper manuscripts and SASEs. Of waiting for more than a year for a rejection. Of form letters, postcards, and…

@DiAnnMills Symbolism is a tangible items that means something psychologically to the character—and translates to the reader the same emotional response. James Scott Bell states, “From the start, we have a connection . . . .” The character(s) and the reader form an attachment to an object that no longer…

@DiAnnMills Writers often struggle with how to incorporate symbolism into their novels or if it’s even necessary. How does it fit into premise and theme? Does it heighten emotion? Does it encourage the reader to see beyond the obvious? Is it part of the story line? How does a writer…

@LynnHBlackburn When I first started writing, I would hear people talk about brainstorming and I have to tell you . . . it bothered me. A lot. I was intrigued by the idea of getting together with a group of friends and throwing ideas around, but I was afraid it…

@EdieMelson I read somewhere once that good dialogue is a conversation with the boring parts taken out. I completely agree. Just record and transcribe a normal conversation and you’ll see that it isn’t all that interesting to read without a lot of judicious editing. But even armed with that knowledge,…