Wind Power

Hello everyone! Hope you are all well!Happy Earth weekend! Spring is the perfect time to think about our own unique planet.I just realized recently after a National Geographic documentary that all the creatures that we know and care about, from Monarch butterflies to hippos, can only be found on Earth and nowhere else in the

Stuck, Un-Stuck

I came across this picture online and immediately thought: I should be writing. What does this picture have to do with writing you ask? Nothing at all, but it reminds me of my process. Listen, I’m not ashamed to admit it that when I’m writing I usually neglect other things that I need to be

Procrastination: let me count the ways

The other day I made a commitment to write a blog post on procrastination. I did not, however, immediately pull up a blank Word document and write. No, I thought about it. Thinking isn’t procrastinating; it is letting ideas swirl and simmer in my head. I might play a computer game, but I tell myself

No, I Don’t Want to Talk About My Car’s Extended Warranty

How many times do you answer your phone to hear a robotic voice asking you to stay on the line to discuss your car’s extended warranty? Or how to reduce your debt? Or to get bogus healthcare benefits? Scamming the Scammers A few years ago, the calls came in at an annoyingly high frequency. Maybe

Conscious Consumption

 “Hey, let’s try that new Chinese place for dinner tonight,” you suggest to a friend. “We should check out the reviews first,” your friend replies. And so invariably, you consult online reviews of the establishment to decide whether you will, in fact, offer the restaurant your patronage. Negative reviews have a powerful impact on dining

RED WORDS AND RABBIT HOLES

Currently, I write historical fiction. I offer you my approach for developing chapter stories for my fifteenth book. I initially create an outline for a book in 3-5 pages. I copy the appropriate story points and themes from the book outline to the chapter heading when I begin, and I paste those thoughts in red

How to choose a character’s name

Hello everyone! I hope you are all well.Today, I want to entertain you about a subject that is important in a novel but if often considered trivial.Have you ever read a novel in which the characters’ names where inappropriate or threw you out of the story every time? I’m sure most of you have experienced

What the H??

Just before Christmas of 2021, a friend wrote a piece entitled Murders From Christmas Past – Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. As I read it, I shuddered and screamed.. NO NO NO. Who stole the H? Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania has an H….. ….except for a twenty-year period of time from 1891 to 1911, when for everyone in the country,

The Literary Divide

If you’ve never read Richard Price’s novel Freedomland, do so. Compelling street stories are his thing. Price pulls the reader in through real, raw dialogue and descriptive, vibrant scenery and he does it so well that the reader feels like they are in the action. When I recommend Price’s work I usually say, “If you

Romance Addicts Unite

​Hi. I’m Becky, and I’m addicted to romance. When watching movies with my husband, I like to point out the romance plot, whether we’re watching Shrek, Star Wars, or something more obvious like An Affair to Remember-which is my favorite romance movie of all time. Fandom for An Affair to Remember is strong. Back in