A Promise Made

A promise “to love and cherish” is one often made at weddings as the bride and groom gaze lovingly into each other’s eyes, no doubt […]

Lions and Tigers

I’ll be honest here. Though the noble lion may be considered “king of the jungle,” I seldom think about him. But I am awed and […]

Pitch the Story

People love to hear a good story or joke. Whenever someone says to my friend, “I’m going to tell you a joke,” he starts laughing. […]

Bear or Wombat?

Point of View  Once upon a time, when I lived in the American Southwest, I bought a copper wall-hanging in the shape of a Zuni […]

Good Bones

Just as your body needs a skeleton to give it structure, your novel needs a framework for its story. If you start with a solid, […]

Leave Classwork in the Classroom

Have you ever begun to read a work of fiction and had the thought, Oh! This author has taken a class in creative writing? I […]

Look for the Gem

Writers are always trying to improve their storytelling skills, and one of the best ways to do this is to read good books. Books are […]

Let Sleeping Dogs Lie (Not Lay)

Ever heard the expression, “Let sleeping dogs lie”? Everyone I’ve ever known to say or write that sentence seemed perfectly willing to let sleeping dogs […]

The Research Iceberg

Despite the literary license we fiction writers supposedly hold, readers expect a certain amount of realism and accuracy in stories that are based on the […]