In PART-1 I looked at your story’s purpose, focusing on what you, the writer, want to convey to your reader and what you want your reader to think about. I maintain that every good story does this. Perhaps the most
Read moreIn the online writing group I’m involved in, one of the members is very good at pointing out story flaws from a reader’s perspective. Over the next few posts, I’m going to delve into these issues with the goal of
Read moreFrom Rick: As readers of this blog know, periodically I like to step up on my soapbox. Before I do, I’d like to categorize the manuscripts I am called upon to read in my various capacities. As editors of an
Read moreFrom Rick: Back in May of 2019, I did a post called “Tips from the experts” wherein I pulled out what I considered the best advice and provided a link to the full article I quoted from. Here’s the link
Read moreFrom Rick: In this age when it’s easier than ever to sample the writing online (and with so many choices available to readers), it’s more important than ever to ensure you don’t lose a sale simply because your opening lacks
Read moreFrom Rick: This week, given that it’s Thanksgiving week, I’m going to give myself a little breathing room here while still giving you a couple of useful articles to read. One of the most challenging aspects of fiction writing to
Read moreFrom Rick: I apologize for not having posted here for two weeks. Last Monday my computer blew out its power supply. No files were lost, but I wasn’t able to access the post for last week in time. All is
Read moreFrom Rick: In PART-1, I talked about three major flaws a story can have: (1) The story fails to engage the reader (2) The characters fail to engage the reader (3) The story takes too long to become interesting (or
Read moreFrom Rick: What’s wrong with your story? Why are magazine editors rejecting your short stories? Are your novels getting mixed reviews (or no reviews)? In a series of two posts I’m going to offer some suggestions for things you can
Read more(from the Chicago Manual of Style) From Rick: I decided to continue from last time with more of those sticky punctuation questions I found in the Chicago Manual of Style’s online Q&A. To avoid confusion, I’m going to pick up
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