Earlier this year, I published this post about songs featuring various forms of figurative language. It has been one of my most popular posts to date, but you wouldn’t know that from looking at it. Two people liked it, and one commented. So why do I say it’s a popular post? One thing I get…
When you dream, how do you experience the dream world? Are you yourself? Do you see things from your own eyes or from the outside? What kinds of dreams stick with you after you wake up? Do you jump out of your head and into someone else’s, mid-dream? If you were taken aback by that…
I spent this weekend on a “staycation” with my family. We drove a few hours away from our house to explore the Colorado wilds, including Great Sand Dune National Park and trekking on winding mountain roads in search of fall colors. It was glorious. Quality family time, and I had a great excuse to not…
I had the good fortune of participating in RMFW’s Colorado Gold writing conference this weekend. While I attended several productive workshops, I found a few to be especially informative, including one about sidekicks in fiction. With the permission of presenters Mario Acevedo and Warren Hammond, I’m writing this post so you can also benefit from what I…
My friend’s daughter started kindergarten a week ago, and yesterday he sent me a concerned message. Him: My kid is social and fun and outgoing, but I worry that when she gets in these classes and clubs she just sits there and isn’t making any friends or whatever. In her preschool, the two teachers loved…
Pop quiz time. What do the following things have in common? Traffic jams Fish in the ocean The full moon appearing every month Negative book reviews If you answered they are all certain to happen, then you pass! Every book gets negative reviews. The Hunger Games, a book I absolutely love, has 443 1-star reviews.…
I recently wrote a post about why I write. It was a simple exercise in examining why I do what I do. A couple of things happened since then that made me want to expand on that topic – namely, a beta reader and critique partner bailed on my current WIP. They just stopped reading,…
As I’ve done more critiquing and editing, I’ve noticed certain trends creeping up repeatedly across a variety of texts and from a large handful of different authors. If they happen often enough, they become irritating – not bad enough to anger, but just enough to itch. You know, like that thing at the back of…
Once you finish writing your masterpiece, there are four things you should do: Have a celebratory drink. I enjoy wine or a margarita, but if you don’t drink I suppose iced tea can be fun if you put cinnamon in it. Let the book sit alone in a corner for a while to think about what…
I almost got into a car accident today. Clarification: I almost caused a car accident today. Double clarification: I almost listlessly drifted my car into another today. How? you may be asking. Great question! I was leaving the service department at the car dealership (yes, I’d just had it serviced. Makes the story better, doesn’t…
Allison Maruska 