May 5, 2022Member-onlyDo You Have a Library?Where’s your happy place? — My dream house — or even my current house, remodeled by someone with far more money than I have — includes a library. A real library, defined as a separate room or nook or designated space, solely for book storage and comfortable reading. My dream library My library will have a fireplace for…Home Library7 min readHome Library7 min read
Mar 11, 2022Member-onlyWhen Writer’s Block HitsA common but conquerable affliction — It’s funny how the creative juices flow. We’re often inspired when we’re least able to act on that inspiration. In fact, in my life it seems I’m most often inspired during those times. It’s kind of like wanting to get healthier . . . all the big plans sort themselves…Writing6 min readWriting6 min read
Dec 29, 2021Member-onlyAnd That’s a Wrap!Saying thank you and goodbye to 2021 — Total book projects: 37 13 from new clients (hooray for new clients!) 24 from returning clients (hooray for returning clients!) Books copyedited: 26 Beta reads: 11 Each December, I like to look back through my calendar to remind myself of the books I worked on throughout the year. In addition…New Book Release10 min readNew Book Release10 min read
Published in The Book Mechanic·Nov 28, 2021Member-onlyWhat “Show, Don’t Tell” Actually MeansAnd why writers struggle with it — Writing blogs are full of advice, and sometimes the worst thing about them is that the advice they give isn’t always the best. …Writing Tips7 min readWriting Tips7 min read
Nov 27, 2021Member-onlyEverything and Nothing at Our FingertipsThe convenience that has brought us forced inconvenience — Just a few short decades ago, shopping channels on television provided millions of consumers with opportunities to buy products they might have never run across in their local markets: specialty food products, jewelry, home accessories, kitchen tools . . . you name it, and there was probably a channel somewhere…Shopping6 min readShopping6 min read
Oct 26, 2021Member-onlyWhat Is NaNoWriMo?And why should you (or shouldn’t you) participate? — For some, November means colorful autumn leaves, apple cider, and pumpkin everything. For many writers, November represents National Novel Writing Month, also known as NaNoWriMo. For those of you who don’t know anything about NaNoWriMo, you may be surprised to find out it’s actually been around for over twenty years…7 min read7 min read
Published in The Book Mechanic·Oct 18, 2021Member-onlyDoes Your Book Need a Sensitivity Reader?Things to consider when writing outside our own experiences — Over the past few years, you may have heard the term “sensitivity reader.” Perhaps you’ve heard it in a positive light, used as a means to enlighten writers to potentially clichéd or misrepresented characters or harmful stereotypes. Or maybe you’ve heard them referred to as “censors of free speech,” presented…Writing7 min readWriting7 min read
Published in The Book Mechanic·Sep 20, 2021Member-onlyWhat Is Microfiction?Saying a lot by writing a little — Microfiction, also known as flash fiction, is the art of writing a complete story using few words. There are those who tell their tale in only fifty words. Some use one hundred or five hundred. Others say what they need to in a mere two sentences. For those who write…Fiction Writing8 min readFiction Writing8 min read
Published in Koinonia·Jul 31, 2021Member-onlyWhy Are You Still Stumbling Around in the Dark?Light is freedom — The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it (John 1:5, ESV). The first words we have recorded from God involve light. He said, “Let there be light” (Genesis 1:3), and there it was. …Scripture Prompt3 min readScripture Prompt3 min read
Published in The Book Mechanic·Jul 5, 2021Member-onlyActive Voice vs. Passive VoiceHow to tell the difference — There seems to be a lot of confusion among newer writers about what qualifies as active voice. There are those who seem to think the word “was” is on the forbidden usage list, and they’ll search their manuscript with the intent of slashing any sentence that includes the word. Zombie rules Strunk…Writing Tips6 min readWriting Tips6 min read
