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January 1, 2016

The Only New Year’s Resolutions A Writer Really Needs

I can almost make that generalization and believe it because these 3 resolutions are adjustable, which makes them good for writers at all stages. I suppose an individual writer might need another resolution (like “pay the bills”), but these 3 are pretty good.  3. Publish Submit to a magazine, contest, or book publisher. Self-publish an ebook. Write a blog. Do what you need to...
Categories Creative Process/General Thoughts & Updates Comments: 0
December 28, 2015

If All They Get Are Dull Readings, No Wonder Teenagers Loathe Poetry

In my regular job, I write educational material for teenagers, and their reaction to poetry is almost always “ugh.” Now, they’re teenagers, so “ugh” is one of their main reactions to anything; however, many of them really, sincerely loathe poetry. Some have enough trouble reading already (literacy in our country is really going downhill), and others have only experienced poetry...
Categories General Thoughts & Updates/Poetry Comments: 0
December 17, 2015

The Sense of Inexorable Death: YA v. Adult Novels

If someone asked me to name the biggest difference between young adult and adult stories, I would say, “Death.” Yes, I know that there’s more to it, including the age of the character and the difficulty level of the writing; however, when it comes to the maturity level, death plays a big part in transitioning between children’s books, YA fiction,...
Categories General Thoughts & Updates/Quotes, Words, & Phrases Comments: 3
December 16, 2015

Shakespearian Tragedies & Happy Endings: A Great Reason to Be Wary of Writing Trends

While I’m talking about happy endings and trends in what is considered good writing, let’s talk about Restoration England (cuz why not?). It’s a period when people preferred happy endings – to the point where they re-wrote Shakespeare’s tragedies to have them. Let me say that again: they re-wrote Shakespeare’s tragedies to have happy endings. Granted, years of strict Puritan laws...
Categories General Thoughts & Updates Comment: 1