Whoa. I say that because I can’t believe a year has passed since I failed to write a novel in three days. You might be thinking, “Dave, that’s hardly a failure.” Mostly, I say it because I remember just how exhausted I was when the clock finally ran out. The Three-Day Novel Contest is an annual writing [...]

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You can’t do it alone. I know, I know. Writers are solitary animals by nature, the kind who demand a little alone time to kickstart the creative process. I like solitude. You like solitude. But listen up, my fellow lone wolves: successful blogging warrants a different skill set. Sure, you’ll still find yourself staring at a [...]

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Most of us really don’t enjoy exercising that much; we just want to be skinny. It’s the same with writing… so much easier to bang out a thousand words on a blog when fifty would probably do. Elegant writing doesn’t just happen; it takes regular, concentrated effort. Here is an exercise you [...]

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If you’re anything like me, sometimes you find it helpful to know what other writers are doing to get words on the page. If you’re a little more like me, this curiosity has become more of an obsession. Maybe I’m just hitting an experimental phase in my writing journey. In any case, I hope [...]

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Blogging is so common these days, everyone seems to want a piece of the action. The problem is that newbies get the idea this blogging thing is a cinch–that you don’t need any particular skills, structure, or game plan to write for the internet. It’s true to some extent; you can get your own domain and start [...]

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As an active bookmobile participant and Highlights fan from way back, I love to read.  I especially love well-written copy that’s so specific and so revealing that you can almost touch, see, smell or hear what’s being described.  Here are some recent favorites: From Elizabeth Strout’s Olive Kitteridge: * It was as if marriage [...]

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Writing, despite being an art and a creative endeavour, is most definitely a craft. Like any crafts, the skills and the rules needed to be able to construct successful, enjoyable writing are ones that must be practised and honed. By reading fiction we familiarise ourselves with the right (and wrong) ways that language can be [...]

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The annual Muse Online Writers’ Conference takes place from October 11th through the 17th. Registration has already begun but is open until August 15th so there is still plenty of time! Check it out and see what you think. All that is asked for is a donation, if you are able. And, if you do not make [...]

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