Empowering The Writer!

Sitting in Tucson, waiting to return to wintry Virginia. Got lots going through my mind. . . . the festival was packed with readers and the most incredible authors in the business. I was able to cement old friendships and develop new.  Here is what I gleaned from the event:   -  Social media is becoming more defined.  It is …

I just purchased new pans. Tuesday Morning was having a sale. I did some research, picked them up for a good price, and—hoo boy. Now that I have pans, I MUST cook, right? Or am I once more being caught up in my best intentions? This is a dangerous question for me. I have more visions of what I want …

  And, no, I am not going to say “character, character, character,” although character is one of them.  Compelling characters—people we feel we must understand—can send a mediocre plot into the stratosphere.  A fascinating character, one with depth and true complexities, can drive me into a story and I’ll never let go until the last word. The second element?  A …

 ”Faith without action is only hope.” There is a quote to hit you right between the eyes.  A friend said it to me the other night and since then I’ve been turning the implications of his words around in my mind. Almost every day someone will tell me he or she wants to write.  They hope to publish a book. …

What is it?  Something few people have.  You think everyone has it because you do—but they don’t.  Millions of people love stories.  Thousands long to write them.  But they won’t, because they lack that one quality that separates the writer from everyone else, that pesky imagination. Writers don’t think of stories like everyone else.  We instantly see the ropes and …

In January, I pick a word for the year. This is a practice of my friend Felicia Mason, one of the most dynamic women, and writers, I know.  She says focusing on one powerful word can lead to unexpected results.  She’s right. Last year, my word was Passion.  I strove to put passion into every facet of my life.  No, …