June 11, 2025
I want to write a short story for a contest. I’ve written a couple short stories in the past that were published, but usually when I think I’m writing a short story it turns out to be a novel. I’ve heard people say, if you want to be a writer, start out writing short stories. […]
August 4, 2021
“How does it end?” A writer friend asked me that question recently after I told him a bit about the story I have started writing. His question stopped me. I’ve been having fun with this story, basically letting it write itself. I’ve been a “Pantser.” (Writing by the seat of my pants.) But I want […]
July 28, 2021
I am now three days into my third week post-surgery. Monday I had 46 staples removed from my back and leaning back against anything hard is definitely more comfortable. However, I am still limited in what I can do. For one thing, I’m not supposed to sit at a computer for a long time. That […]
July 9, 2021
I missed posting last Wednesday (7/7/2021). I’ve been preoccupied with preparing both physically and mentally for back surgery, which will occur this coming Monday. I’m not sure if I’ll be able to sit at the computer for a week or two after the surgery, so I’m trying to post a couple blogs ahead of time. […]
June 23, 2021
Where do I get my ideas? Well, with THE CROWS, it was the murder of two hunters (that took place close to where I lived) that triggered the idea for that book. When I started thinking about writing a sequel to THE CROWS, three reports on TV triggered the idea for AS THE CROW FLIES. […]
June 16, 2021
For three (3) days—June 18, June 19, and June 20—the ebook edition of SOMETHING TO CROW ABOUT will be free. (https://rb.gy/7ae33z ) Check it out! What’s the story about? Being nine months pregnant doesn’t stop P.J. Benson from trying to discover why her friend was killed. But someone thinks she has crucial evidence, and they’ll […]
June 9, 2021
The Crows cawed a warning When I lived south of Climax, Michigan, every time I stepped out of my house the crows would start cawing. What they were saying, I’m not sure. Maybe: “She’s out, keep an eye on her.” or “That’s the weird one who tries cawing back at us.” Our house was surrounded […]
May 26, 2021
It’s the end of May, the town where I live is gearing up for a summer of boating, swimming, and (hopefully) festivals. (However, there will be no Forth of July Fireworks again this year.) I’m seeing more faces (without masks) and once again getting into restaurants involves a wait of a half hour or more. […]
May 19, 2021
I copied and shared this from a post I saw on Facebook. Since then it’s been copied by several other writers and shared on their FB sites. It really is true. Nothing makes a writer happier than receiving a review that indicates the reader enjoyed the writer’s book. (Of course, nothing makes us sadder than […]
May 12, 2021
In last week’s blog, Pamela S. Thibodeaux told how she had to rewrite a book in order to get it right. I’m in the early stages of my work-in-progress, but during a critique session I discovered I needed to rewrite a scene to get it right. Sounds easy enough; however, rewriting one scene may have […]
May 5, 2021
A few weeks ago, I asked Pamela S. Thibodeaux to be a guest on this blog and she said she would be glad to, especially since she discovered something while writing her new release. How to Know When a Story is Not Working by Pamela S. Thibodeaux In all my years as a writer, I’ve […]
March 24, 2021
A friend recently sent me an article on daydreaming, the need to do it. Basically, the article points out how cluttered our lives and minds have become as we deal with everyday problems, many of which have been acerbated by the pandemic and the fearful news with which we’re constantly bombarded. The article suggests everyone […]
March 17, 2021
In a previous blog I talked about vanity presses and why I think a writer should avoid them. This week the Writers Beware® blog highlighted a bogus company that offers self-published and wanna-be-published writers ways to get their books or unpublished stories looked at by TV and movie companies and/or republished by traditional publishers. I […]
March 3, 2021
Recently I was asked by another writer if I thought she should use a vanity book publisher. With self-publishing so popular nowadays, I didn’t even realize vanity publishers were still out there, but sure enough she had one in mind. I gave her my thoughts, but you may feel different, and if so, I welcome […]
February 24, 2021
Something is Missing My critique group met this week via Zoom. One member is working on a memoir. The section we’ve been critiquing is fascinating. She was in Christchurch, New Zealand when the 2011 earthquake hit. In fact, she and her husband were in the Cathedral at the exact moment the earthquake hit and everything […]
February 17, 2021
There are aspects I really like about self-publishing a book: control over content, cover, and blurb. I also like receiving a higher royalty and the ability to tract sales, or at least receive more up-to-date accounting of sales. There are also aspects of being my own publisher that I don’t like or find extremely difficult. […]
February 10, 2021
Today is the day (February 10, 2021) SOMETHING TO CROW ABOUT is now available as an e-book and a paperback And best of all The e-book is on sale Here’s what some readers are already saying about it: “If you’re a hands-on action with plenty of puzzles to solve fan–or if you are also a […]
February 3, 2021
Nowadays, most writers can’t simply write a story, send it off to an agent or publisher and sit back and wait for the praise and money. Of course, it’s always been true for most writers that once the story has been written, they must take off their writer’s hat and put on their editor’s hat. […]
January 13, 2021
I truly have something to crow about. The 4th book in the P.J. Benson Mystery series now has an actual release date: February 10, 2021. It has a beautiful cover, designed by Chris of http://highpinescreative.com. They did the covers for the first three “Crow” books (The Crows, As the Crow Flies, and Eat Crow and […]
December 16, 2020
One of the things I enjoy most about writing is I am constantly learning: new information, new ways to do things, new programs to master, and new words to add to my vocabulary. I guess I’m a perpetual student. Today I started learning how to register a book with the Library of Congress. I have […]