a guest post by Britt Lind I think one of the most important things you can do when writing a book is to know your characters on a deep and profound level. Because I was an actress for so many years this came naturally to me when I began writing Deception as it has for…
Category: Guest post
Finding My Own Way Into Stones River ~ M. F. (Mimi) Jones
What I learned when writing the book Recently I read through my journals going back to the ‘70s when I was in college, and the major theme in them, along with a quest for true love, was my longing to write. The problem was, I didn’t know what to write. Truisms like Write what you…
An Appreciation of Donald Westlake and His Shadow
A guest post by Mark Nutter You can’t write a funny caper book, like I did, without acknowledging the master of the comic heist novel, Donald E. Westlake. Born in Brooklyn, NY, in1933, Westlake started writing in his teens and sold his first story after 200 rejections—aspiring writers take note. He never stopped writing, with…
Write Scared: Why Fear is Actually Your Secret Weapon as a Writer– guest post by Desiree Moodie
If you’re an aspiring writer, you’ve probably heard every bit of advice under the sun. “Write what you know.” “Show, don’t tell.” “Kill your darlings.” All good, all true. But here’s one you may not have heard yet: Write scared. Let me explain. When I say “write scared,” I don’t mean writing while checking over…
Of All The Gin Joints – guest post by actor and author Rick Lenz
I was in school when James Dean died. It seemed like such a big deal. He only made three movies, but he got through to millions of young people on a gut level, far beyond what the usual Hollywood hype could have generated. A few years after acting with John Wayne, another star who had…
How to Flunk Typing 101
a guest post by Linda Hornberg (plus a chance to win a copy of her book) My Deplorable Writing Habits As a writer, I now work almost exclusively on a laptop, which provides me that most miraculous of abilities: the appearance of being an excellent typist. While I do know the QWERTY keyboard, and type…
Moon: Pathways, or the argument for circular storytelling
This is a repost of Julie Herman‘s most recent b.read.crumbs post. In the labyrinth of a difficult text, we find unmarked forks in the path, detours, blind alleys, loops that deliver us back to our point of entry, and finally the monster who whispers an unintelligible truth in our ears. — Mason Cooley Not withstanding the fact that all of…
Researching the Work of Transgender Authors
a guest post by Dawn Reno Langley, author of Analyzing the Prescotts When the doctoral program advisors from The Union Institute and University interviewed me to see if I would be a good fit for their program, they alerted me ahead of time that my research would need to fit the social-justice premise of the…
Hiking as Walking Meditation
guest post by Joan M. Griffin, author of Force of Nature: Three Women Tackle the John Muir Trail “Walk as if you are kissing the Earth with your feet.” ~ Thich Nhat Hanh, Peace is Every Step Hiking can be a wonderful way to integrate meditation into an active, outdoor lifestyle. Even a short walk…
Yes, I’m Puerto Rican and I’m a U.S. Citizen
a guest post by Margarita Barresi When I set out to write historical fiction based in Puerto Rico, I wanted to tell a great story, but I also wanted to educate. I was tired of answering questions like, “How did you get your green card” or “When did you come to this country?” A Morning…