Wednesday, November 26, 2025

Words of the Year 2025 So Far

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 by Sybil Johnson It’s that time of year. I don’t mean Thanksgiving, though it is tomorrow here in the U.S. I mean the time when the words o...
Saturday, November 22, 2025

An Apology of Sorts

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I missed my previous turn to post and for this I apologize. Last month I was in Oceanside, CA, to attend the ceremony for the International ...
Thursday, November 20, 2025

No Reeboks for Caesar

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 Donis here. I've about reached the middle of my new WIP, the spot where everything changes for the protagonist, and now I'm neck de...
1 comment:
Tuesday, November 18, 2025

Are You a Curler or a Magpie?

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by Catherine Dilts I have a “birdbath” on my deck. It’s actually a clay flower pot base set on the railing. Birds like getting a drink the...
Monday, November 17, 2025

Scams Targeting Writers

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 by Thomas Kies I was introduced to a new scam the other day. One that I came very near to falling for.  An email came to me out of the blue...
2 comments:
Friday, November 14, 2025

Be a Squirrel

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  Dear Lovely Reader: I must apologize, first of all, for missing my essay slot two weeks ago. I was, as usual, experiencing technical diffi...
Wednesday, November 12, 2025

Bartz v. Anthropic

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 by Sybil Johnson I’m sure a lot of you have heard of the Bartz v. Anthropic lawsuit. Of the dozens of lawsuits about unauthorized use of w...
Tuesday, November 11, 2025

Some Enchanted Evening

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 by Charlotte Hinger What a thrill! And I was definitely surprised. My historical novel, Mary's Place won the Will Rogers Gold Medalli...
4 comments:
Monday, November 10, 2025

Boiling Ideas Needed

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by Steve Pease/Michael Chandos  Writing is hard, concentrated work. You "stare at your typewriter until your forehead bleeds", wro...
Thursday, November 06, 2025

A Piece of Cake, a Bowl of Jello

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Donis here. What wonderful entries my blog mates have offered lately. I love reading about the little things that make a novel real and rela...
3 comments:
Wednesday, November 05, 2025

Dogs in story

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Steve posted last week about creating character in stories and the way character influences behaviour and reactions. No need for a lengthy l...
1 comment:
Tuesday, November 04, 2025

Forest Fairy Surprise

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by Catherine Dilts There is delight in seeing something you didn’t expect. Don’t warn me ahead of time. I want to be surprised. We visit...
1 comment:
Monday, November 03, 2025

How Long Should Your Novel Be?

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 by Thomas Kies I’ve been reading the effusive reviews for a novel called Tom’s Crossing by Mark Z. Danielewski. The critics are ecstatic. T...
1 comment:
Wednesday, October 29, 2025

It's Spooky Season!

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 by Sybil Johnson I don’t remember hearing the term “Spooky Season” much before this year. I suspect I have not been paying attention. I rat...
Tuesday, October 28, 2025

Halloween Antics

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    by Charlotte Hinger                             She's gone. She disappeared. She was the central character in my neighbor's elab...
Monday, October 27, 2025

Finding character

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 By Steve Pease // Michael Chandos The protagonist, the Hero of your inspirational story, the solid woman who keeps your literary family tog...
Tuesday, October 21, 2025

Falling Leaves and Word Sprints

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by Catherine Dilts Why am I surprised every fall when my schedule suddenly fills? It happens this way year after year. The leaves turn c...
2 comments:
Friday, October 17, 2025

Moving Forward Toward Indie

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H ello from Portland, Maine. Shelley here, waving, but with hopefully a bit more flesh on my bones than the skeleton in the photo below.  Th...
2 comments:
Wednesday, October 15, 2025

75 Years of Peanuts

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 by Sybil Johnson My cataract surgeries are done. Sorry I missed my last posting day. My eyes were adjusting to their new reality. Honestly,...