Why I didn't participate in IWSG last month? Why I promised something exciting in July but failed to follow through?
You are asking all the right questions, and I'm thankful you want to know. I've been busy, stressed, anxious, and so much more over the last few months.Category: Tips, Tricks, Etc.
What is success? #IWSG
To me, success isn't determined by my ability to produce words...
Learning from the masters #IWSG
My favorite writing craft book is The Complete Handbook of Novel Writing by the editors of Writer's Digest. This book features articles and interviews from numerous authors and is broken down into five parts.
NaNoWriMo’s Young Writers Program (Author Toolbox)
The Young Writers Program (or YWP) is a way for NaNoWriMo to be accessible for participants 17 and younger (18 only if they're still in high school). Writing 50,000 words would be near impossible for young writers, so YWP allows them to choose their own writing goal.
A Treasure Map of Ideas (Author Toolbox)
You may or may not have heard about mind maps for brainstorming ideas. However, I find coming up with those ideas to be considerably difficult sometimes, especially when it comes to teaching essays in class.
MC’s garage sale (Author Toolbox)
This exercise creates questions. Will all the answers show up in the novel? Probably not... but the answers will help us better understand our character.
3 Tips for Starting a New Notebook (Author Toolbox)
I don't know about you, but every time I go into a store that sells notebooks, I find myself picking up each one and flipping through it. Even if I don't intend to buy one, I imagine what could be written on those pages.
Evolution of my Writer’s Notebook: 7 notebooks and counting…
Not only have my notebooks changed over the years, but my writing has also changed. Please join me as I walk you through the evolution of my writer's notebook, including four key things about each notebook.
4 Ways to Self-Motivate (Author Toolbox)
For my return to Author Toolbox, I want to share with you the four ways I've used to find my motivation to write again. I hope that some of them will work for you if you ever feel like this writing thing needs a break.
Let’s Write a Poem — National Poetry Month
Don't even think the word can't right now. The easiest way to start writing a poem is to let the words lead you. Watch...
Red Pen Tidbits 10 (the end): Using articles — a, an, & the
Welcome back to the final in the series of Red Pen Tidbits (click for a full table of contents)! I will likely revisit this title, but it will no longer be part of a series. Last time we looked at a few of those tricky Verb Tenses. This week as we embark on the end, we'll explore the proper [...]
Red Pen Tidbits 9: Verb Tenses — 2 Tips for Errors (Author Toolbox)
Welcome back to Red Pen Tidbits (click for a full table of contents)! Last time we looked at a few of those tricky commonly confused words. This week, by special request from Erika Beebe, we'll dive into verb tenses and how they affect our writing. What exactly are we talking about here? We're all aware of the basic verb [...]
Red Pen Tidbits 8: Commonly Confused Words
Welcome back to Red Pen Tidbits (click for a full table of contents)! How has your practice with coordinating conjunctions gone? I hope it was wonderful! This week, we're looking into four pairs of commonly confused words. Sometimes it helps to have some way to remember them, so I'll offer up mnemonic devices when I can! What [...]
Red Pen Tidbits 7: Three Ways to Use Coordinating Conjunctions (Author Toolbox)
Welcome back to Red Pen Tidbits! We took a dive into three steps for using pronouns and antecedents correctly. I hope you've been practicing! This week, we're focusing on commas with coordinating conjunctions. Don't worry, I'll try to make this as painless as possible! This post is also part of the Author Toolbox Blog Hop. Feel free [...]
Red Pen Tidbits 6: Pronouns and Antecedents, 3 steps for getting them right
Welcome back to Red Pen Tidbits! Last time around we looked into the proper ways to use me, myself, and I. That little tidbit leads us into this week's discussion about pronouns and their antecedents. We'll look at _ steps for understanding them and getting them right (see the pronouns there?). Are you ready? Step [...]
Red Pen Tidbits 5: Me, Myself, and I (Author Toolbox)
Welcome back to Red Pen Tidbits! Last time we focused on the topic with the most votes (those tricky one or two word combos). This week, we'll discuss the second topic with the most votes: how to use me, myself, and I correctly. This post is also part of the Author Toolbox Blog Hop. Feel [...]
Red Pen Tidbits 4: One Word or Two Words — 7 of the trickiest combos
Oftentimes we're writing merrily along when we suddenly stop in the middle of a word. We know exactly how to spell this word, so the trouble lies elsewhere...
Is this supposed to be one word or two words?
Red Pen Tidbits 3: Who vs. Whom
Here we go again with a little Red Pen Tidbit! Last time we looked at the variety of uses for apostrophes, and before that was our introduction to grammar and usage. This week, we'll explore a few tricks to remember the difference between who and whom. Who Whom Who will be joining us today? What exactly are [...]
Red Pen Tidbits 2: Apostrophes
Welcome back to Red Pen Tidbits! I introduced this new series last week with an overview about grammar and usage. Every first and third Thursday of the month we'll look a little closer at some aspect of grammar or usage. This week, we'll check out apostrophes! I don't know about you, but sometimes when I [...]
Red Pen Tidbits 1: Introduction to Grammar and Usage
Welcome to my first post in the "Red Pen Tidbits" series where we will make mistakes and break the rules! Sort of. What are you talking about? I have taught English for several years from 6th grade up to 12th grade, and I love it. One of the moments I enjoy the most are when [...]