Flawed yet potentially beautiful. We all face demands that require near perfection, sometimes even perfection. Those of us naturally conscientious try hard to meet them. In fact, we often demand them of ourselves, without an outside force motivating us. I am a perfectionist, so I can certainly sympathize with those who demand it of themselves…
50+ years of experience I’ve been gathering experience for 50+ years I have already been told numerous times I was wrong and proved that I was right. I have been wrong before and survived and I will again I have paid my bills, and when I didn’t, I learned to pay them the next time….
The Coming of Age format is often used for YA novels because the main character is often a young character, usually on the verge of coming to terms with the difficult realities of life. It is also not unusual for the main character to be an adult, one with a rather innocent view of life. …
Regional stories are wrapped around the cultural, traditional, and environmental qualities of the area. Often dialect is a feature, but not a requirement. So work on a few paragraphs of a story that can only happen where you are. Make it utterly dependent on the locale, can’t happen anywhere else but there. Read Faulkner’s “Barn…
Pick out a room in your house or apartment that you would love to remodel. Imagine the changes you would make. What different furniture would you prefer, paint scheme, layout, window type? Think about every detail: baseboard, electrical switches, trim around the doors, what is in the vase of flowers, scent. capture the details When…
I have read A Tale of Two Cities numerous times and have made notations up and down the margins north, south, east and west. The reading of it always mesmerizes me with the detail and development of character, setting and connection, of what has gone and what is to come. “Do you particularly like the…
The incredible disappearing QWERTY. What is the most important tool for me as a writer? That is easy: a keyboard. I mention this as I have noticed that over the years of owning various computers that the keyboard letters are fading more quickly with each new purchase as I upgrade. In essence, as I upgrade…
I have always been a believer in the idea that there are things that are specifically made to fit a situation or need, but one can always come up with a bypass if that item is just not available. This is how I manage to deal with computers that don’t want to work or when…
