Mar 22 Posted by WFYS

Guest post: Mining a writing tip from Mandy Patinkin

EDITOR’S NOTE: During a conversation thread on author R.J. Keller‘s Facebook timeline, I was intrigued by fellow writer April Hamilton‘s take on a Youtube video featuring a few acting tips from Mandy Patinkin.  He’s one of my all-time favorite actors, so I was hooked already, and I loved hearing him speak so passionately. But when April started relating his tips to writing, I knew... read more

Dec 24 Posted by WFYS

A Christmas wish for writers

Merry Christmas! A while back, I stumbled across this post over at the site for the San Francisco Writers Conference, and now I pass it on to you: A Christmas Wish List for Writers. What would you add to your own creative wishlist? Personally, I’d like the lack of fear to show up at my house a little more. The power to ignore discouragers, critics, and the worst naysayer of all — the voice of... read more

Jan 16 Posted by WFYS

Quote of the week: Getting the reader under the bed

You need not expect to get your book right the first time. Go to work and revamp or rewrite it. God only exhibits his thunder and lightning at intervals, and so they always command attention. These are God’s adjectives. You thunder and lightning too much; the reader ceases to get under the bed, by and by. ~~Mark Twain, author and humorist,... read more

Jan 3 Posted by WFYS

Getting back on the writing horse

I make a good chunk of my living as a freelance writer and editor. Last year, we had multiple deaths in the family, and all things writing just slid for a while while we dealt with grief, illness, and eventually, funeral planning. When unexpected things happen to a freelancer, picking up where you left off can be hard to do when normalcy returns and the grey areas of life give you the chance to get back... read more