Self-Doubt–What Helps; What Doesn’t Help
Will this book be better than the last one? Will my outline help me write 50,000 words this month? Or will I get stuck–again? What about professional editors, beta readers, book designers? What if I…
More NaNoWriMo and Writer’s Block
I want to “win” NaNoWriMo this year despite my “disability.” Writer’s block is not, in my view, simply not feeling like writing; it is the inner critic running amuck. It is the certainty that I…
Me??? An Author???
I’d like to believe in myself, but … I’ll settle for just doing it—just writing, just reaching out to other writers and readers, just editing, just showing my writing to others. Just the next thing….
NaNoWriMo and Writer’s Block–Confessions of a Compulsive Novel Starter
National Novel Writing Month–or NaNoWriMo–takes place every November. Nanowrimo.org offers an online platform–website, Facebook, Twitter–classes, inspirational essays, writing sprints, questions, and advice. And then there’s the intimidating goal of writing 50,000 words of a novel…
I’m Writing the Type of Novel I Hate
I want to write a hard-boiled detective series. Instead, I’m writing a series about a semi-competent newbie. On the plus side, it’s funny, IMHO. I’m writing like Janet Evanovich or Carl Hiaasen when I want…
Review of Margaret Atwood’s The Testaments Nan A. Talese / Doubleday New York 2019
The Testaments by Margaret Atwood is a continuation of The Handmaid’s Tale. The main voice in this novel, that of Aunt Lydia’s statue, has Atwood’s irony, as well as her great skill as a storyteller….
Novel Review: The Nightengale By Kristin Hannah St. Martin’s Griffin (NY) 2015
This is a historical romance novel about World War II and the Nazi occupation of France. As far as I know, the novel accurately depicts life in occupied France: miserable conditions, food shortages, Nazi soldiers…
More Thoughts on Singular They
I did some thinking. (My friends would say, “Oh, no, not again.” I want choice. I want options such as: . . . she (he, they) . . . . People . . . they…
The Pronoun Blues
Here are some examples from the May/June 2020 issue of Writer’s Digest: “…every author has to come up with their individual voice.” WD interview with Jenny Lawson p.44 “…everybody when they start out tries to…
Correction in the ESL/EFL Classroom—Experience Conflicts with Research
Research-based best practice suggests that making pronunciation corrections is at best a waste of time, and at worst discouraging to students. At first glance, this seems true because when I make corrections, sure enough, students…