Author, Writer, Editor
Picture The Little Red Hen from old English folklore with someone else’s guilt trips on her head as well as her own! I was always busy and active, probably too busy for my own good. In her defense I can say The Little Red Hen got to eat the bread … Read more…
A writer’s work is with words, so we often have to be precise in our choices to get the message across, unless it really doesn’t matter, of course. No one needs to be “on” all the time. For the most part, we tend to be precise, even when we shock … Read more…
As other writers have discovered, it’s always interesting when acquaintances find out an “older person” is taking classes, especially online classes. Reactions vary, as anyone would expect: Good for you! is quite common, though more frequent is You’ve got to be kidding! Haven’t you had enough of that by now? … Read more…
I overheard a couple of comments a little while ago that made me think I should back up and talk about actually submitting a manuscript (MS) to an editor, either at a magazine or a book publishing house. So, first steps first: You’ve read sample copies of the magazines where … Read more…
Look for The Art of Work in a bricks and mortar bookstore or library, and it will likely be shelved under Business & Economics | Careers | General. But it will be unlike any other business or economics book you ever read! I’ve always found that genre to be either … Read more…
Rejection slips should not come as a surprise to any serious writer, though they never cease to annoy and disappoint. Who are those people, anyway, to reject my writing?! Choose Your Target In a society that has evolved to where “the bottom line” is all that matters, rejection slips are … Read more…
When ideas first come to you, just write them down. Get the story out of your head, out of your pen or keyboard, and onto those sheets of blank paper or onto the screen. Don’t edit as you go! If you’re constantly fixing grammar or correcting a word choice, you’ll … Read more…
The question of how to get started in technical writing has come up several times, so here is some very basic information. First, technical writer can be a vague, even misleading term. Just about everything that isn’t fiction could, and often does, fall under the heading of technical writing. Some … Read more…
Many non-fiction writers ask whether they need an index. Nobody uses an index, do they? First of all, a refresher. Many of us, especially tech writers, seem to send out long documents that are in less than “finished” condition because no one wants to give us enough time to do … Read more…
Revising your writing as you go along isn’t quite the same as editing it, though it helps. I can’t do justice to the fonts used, but as a formerly available STC* T-shirt stated, first you Write, then Revise, Revise, Revise, Revise, Revise, Revise, Revise, Revise, Revise, Revise, Revise, Revise, Revise, … Read more…