Barbara Fradkin's Blog, page 18

Encouraging Your Muse

 Catherine DiltsWaiting passively for “the muse” to whisper in your ear islike sitting in a dark room waiting for someone to turn on the lights. There’sa point at which you need to stand up, walk across the room, and flip on thelight switch.There are periods when writing fiction can feel likeslogging through a murky bog. Other times, the ideas rush like a clear mountainstream drawn

Let That WIP Rest

 When I was in the hospital, I had a lot of time to think.  It’s either that or watch a ton of FRIENDS reruns.Before going to the Galapagos, I’d sent a manuscript to my agent to read.  When I hit the send button, I thought it was a pretty good story. But as I said, while recuperating, I had a chance to think about it and knew that I was wrong. I could make that sucker better.I

Creative Longings

By Shelley BurbankI was chatting with an artist friend of mine, Sharon, about creativity.* Sharon once wrote a novel. She always wanted to be a writer, or thought she did. She’s very talented. She can write a beautiful sentence, build a story, and conjure characters from thin air.  Writing, however, made her unhappy. By her own account, writing took her to dark places, made her

Head Scratching

I sold my first book when I was in my twenties, which seems like a lifetime ago. That makes sense since the publishing industry ages in dog years. It was 1999. I wrote a cover letter, submitted to the University Press of New England (I was a teacher and thought selling a novel to a university press would be a feather in my academic cap). I received a letter back requesting the manuscript, and

Rereading Your Past AKA I Wrote That?

 by Sybil JohnsonWhile I’m proud of all the stories I’ve written over the years, I’m not fond of rereading them. Whether it’s a short story or a novel, I cringe every time I think about it. The older the story is the more resistant I become to reading it.I don’t even like listening to an audio version of my books. The first 3 in my Aurora Anderson series are available in audio format and

Is snow a blessing

 by Steve Pease writing as Michael Chandos     My To-Do list is huge. I have house tasks, cars, lawn, filing, all the stuff that occupies life. The weather is bad. What to do, what to do.     My Writing To-Do list is also huge. I'm a former intelligence officer and private investigator. I like facts, analysis, photos, and articles on subjects that "one-day"

Grateful

My husband just made a delicious batch of molasses bread. I love it. It makes the whole day better.I hope you had a great Thanksgiving. I’m more grateful for small things these days than I used to be. I used to have big expectations and was disappointed when they didn’t materialize. I’m seldom disappointed by anything now, since I no longer have expectations. Is this a bad thing?For forty years,

Shy authors and the promotional game

 Catherine's post on Persistence, and the struggle of introverted authors to toot our own horn, made me smile. How I can relate! It's twenty-five years since my first book came out, but with 21 (soon to be 22 books out), I still have to force myself not only to praise my own work on social media and at parties but also to initiate conversations with (AKA waylay) perfect strangers in mall

Persistence

 Catherine DiltsIn the day job from which I recently retired, I outlastedmany employees who had much more flash and verve. Merely showing up and doingthe work contributed to my longevity at the company. So far, my writing career seems destined for more of thesame. Persistence. Refusing to give up despite obstacles and difficulties.There’s no glitz or glamour involved. Just plain hard

AWOL

  I’m afraid I haven’t contributed to our Type M for Murder blogs in much too long.  My initial excuse was a once-in-a-lifetime trip to the Galapagos Islands.  That alone will be its own blog somewhere down the line.  While I was aboard the National Geographic ship exploring and hiking the volcanic islands with my wife, I was making notes about a locked door murder. &nbsp