“Literary” is a type of book many people admire, but it’s not a genre that people necessarily seek. It’s even hard to call it a genre the way “mystery,” “romance,” and “paranormal” might be. Books that appear on Amazon’s literary bestseller list, for example, reveal how widely defined “literary” really is. For instance, this week,…
Does he feel the importance of having a great vocabulary is being ignored? What was the inspiration for these short stories? What advice does he have for writers who are striving to be published? You have an impressive vocabulary. Did you have to work hard at learning the meanings of all these words, or did…
Love Will Make You Drink and Gamble, Stay Out Late at Night is a book of short stories. Each of the stories is about relationships. They tell about the mistakes made, words misunderstood, and the resulting misadventures had. All of the stories revolve around life in Santa Barbara. This book has twelve short stories. One…
Here in the United States, we celebrate Easter by going to church to rejoice in the resurrection of Jesus Christ, having Easter egg hunts, and eating the ears off chocolate bunnies. Well, maybe not everyone eats the ears off the chocolate bunnies, but that is something my husband used to do when our kids were…
Honey, that wonderfully sweet and sticky substance made by bees using nectar or pollen collected from flowers, is the only food that contains all the substances necessary to sustain life. It can also be used as a medicine. So if honey is such an awesome and nutritious food, how can someone become mad or even die…
The origin of April Fool’s Day, the holiday that delights those who love to play practical jokes, is a mystery, although it is believed to have had its beginnings in France sometime during the 1500s. No one is safe from pranks, practical jokes, and hoaxes on this day when humor reigns. There have been some…
There are several things you should consider before choosing the name your character will be known by. One of the first things you should look at is the time or era in which your story takes place. Say your story or novel takes place in 1925. The five most popular names for boys in 1925…
When you are bitten by a snake, do you need an anecdote or an antidote? Do math students learn how to measure an angel or an angle? Would you be taken on a picnic by your aunt or your ant? anecdote, antidote An anecdote is a story. Jerry had an anecdote to share about every situation in…
When you think of a character for your new book, what is the first thing about him or her that pops into your mind? Is it the color of his skin or hair? Maybe it is his temperament. Or it could be a peculiar mannerism he has. Whatever it is, this is where you start…
BAM! Splat! Pow! Punched, shot, exploded, shredded, rolled, kicked, stabbed . . . What are good fighting words? What makes a good fight? Should it be real? Supernatural? Painful? Showy? There are so many options that sometimes it’s hard to figure it out. Maybe you know exactly how the fight should go, but not how…
