Sue Bradford Edwards's Blog, page 8

The Middle: Stupendous or Sagging?

Over the weekend I read a really interesting post by Janice Hardy, “5 Common Problems with Middles.” She explained that because so much of what happens in the story happens in the middle, it is hard to write. So often early drafts meander and roam and seem to get lost in the middle. Part of … Continue reading The Middle: Stupendous or Sagging? →

Revising and Trimming My Writing

A big part of revision is cutting anything that is redundant. That’s what is meant, at least in part, by “be willing to kill your darlings.” No matter how much you love a word, sentence, paragraph or chapter, if it doesn’t serve the larger story, it has to go. This could be a redundant word. … Continue reading Revising and Trimming My Writing →

When Learning Something New – Patience

At the beginning of the month, I signed up for a meditative painting practice at my local library. You can read about it here. As is so often the case with me, what I learned is probably what I was meant to learn. My lesson? Water color paper is much better than a sketch book … Continue reading When Learning Something New – Patience →

Juneteenth and the D-word (Diversity)

Today is Juneteenth. On June 19, 1865, Major General Gordon Granger announced to the enslaved people in Galveston, Texas that they were free. So naturally Juneteenth originated in Galveston. This federal holiday helps us remember that equality is a long time goal and something that we are still striving for. Two books off my shelves … Continue reading Juneteenth and the D-word (Diversity) →

Deciding Which Manuscript to Tackle Next: Create a Poll

Nine times out of ten, I don’t have to think about which project to tackle next. I am, after all, working under deadline. But a different situation has come up. I am going to give away my book on being banned. That’s the cover to the left. I just don’t want to profit from other … Continue reading Deciding Which Manuscript to Tackle Next: Create a Poll →

Dialogue: Making Each Character Sound Unique

Last week I stumbled across an online conversation. Someone wanted to know how to make each character sound unique. Some advice they got made me cringe. That’s because they were told to lean heavily into dialect. IMO (no H involved), beware dialect. I once read a book that I couldn’t make sense of unless I … Continue reading Dialogue: Making Each Character Sound Unique →

Recovering When Disaster Strikes

Knitting is a lot like writing. Sometimes a project falls apart. Back when I was a new freelancer, we saved our files on diskettes. The cases were colored bright like candy. Every once in a while, I’d go to open a file and . . . nothing. Eventually an error message would come up. It … Continue reading Recovering When Disaster Strikes →

Research: Finding the Biggest, First, Most Recent, etc.

Earlier in the week, I was reading one of my knitting newsletter. She included an article on World Wide Knit in Public Day. It is this Saturday, 6/14. Which is also No Kings Day. And World Blood Donor Day. But there’s more. It is World Doll Day, World Gin Day, International Bath Day, and World … Continue reading Research: Finding the Biggest, First, Most Recent, etc. →

Reading Parties: Having a Good Time Reading

Am I the last person on Earth to hear about reading parties? Why have I never been invited to one? I would be excellent at this. If, like me, you aren’t sure what a reading party is, it is a party where people get together and . . . are you ready for it? . … Continue reading Reading Parties: Having a Good Time Reading →

Quiet Picture Books: A Review of AT THE WINDOW by Hope Lim

A friend in my critique group recommended AT THE WINDOW as an example of a quiet picture book that has a lot to say. This is definitely that book! It is the story of a young narrator who takes her dog for a walk every day. She and a neighbor begin to interact. The woman … Continue reading Quiet Picture Books: A Review of AT THE WINDOW by Hope Lim →