Peggy Bechko's Blog, page 36

Saving The Distracted Writer

A writer's life s not an easy one. It's full of distractions and trials. Frequently we have to have a job and write at the same time, not to mention family obligations. And how is one to write when there are so many other distractions out there in the world just ready to leap at you from the dark corners - or even out in broad daylight?

Hmmm.  Well, there are a lot of things a writer can do. Some of them are as basic as self-discipline. Dirty words, I know. But as a writer you're going t...

Writers Websites Wednesday - Mashable Tools for Writers

Are you a writer who makes full use of technology and the social media?  Then you just might want to visit Mashable fairly frequently and keep ahead of the curve on pretty much everything techie and web. Lots of cheap yet valuable tools for writers. Lots of info - but don't get lost in this vast sea of information.

Give Your Writing Punch - Make Your Reader Believe!

Today's advice is pretty basic, but I think it needs to be pulled out and examined again anyway.  How many times have you as a writer been told to 'show' don't 'tell'. 


Well I wrote a blog post on that some time back so if you've read that (and you still can by going into my archives here) then you know where I stand in general on that statement.  Yes, there's a lot of legitimacy to it, but not exclusively.

That said, let me tell you there needs to be action in your writing. I...

Writers Websites Wednesday - Editing Help

Auto Crit Editing Wizard is this week's Writer's Websites Wednesday post. This is a great  help for all writers and especially new ones.  Yes, I want to say up front I am an affiliate, however, I've used this editing software and what a  help it is for improving your writing. It picks out often repeated words to bring to your attention, points out cliches and redundancies, makes you aware of slow pacing and dialog tags. It really does bring things to the writer's attention that...

The Beginning Writer

I just read an article by a writer I normally appreciate and agree with on many levels.  This time, I didn't.

Why?

The person in question was giving tips on how to get started in a writing career and how in order to begin the writer must not begin by writing books, but rather find other venues to begin with and to launch yourself.  Things like writing for magazines, swimming through the frustration, moving forward, dealing with rejection, and more.  Oh, and don't forget newspaper...

Writers Websites Wednesday - Dropbox

As writers we write a lot of stuff. We also have things we want to protect like photos, scanned contracts & more.  So what do we do if the computer crashes and takes everything with it?  Cry? 
Before that happens you might check out Dropbox.  This is a little tour to give you the scoop on what it's all about - online storage, but more. You can share, sync up with phones, etc. Basic is free, but if you need more space you can earn it by referring others to their site or...

Writing Up The Little Guys - Creating Authenticity In Your World

Our world is full or people, places and things. So should the world your writing creates. If you want it to feel real, to draw the reader in (and I know you do) then you have to write to create a living breathing world.  Whether it's just down the street in your neighborhood or set in the distant reaches of space it is imperative that you fill in the details, make things real.

How?

Well for one thing, the world is full of 'walk-on' characters, people like waitresses, car mechanics, fast...

Writers Websites Wednesday - The Other Side Of The Story

I stumbled across Janice Hardy's blog, The Other Side Of The Story the other day and I must say, I like it. She offers over 500 articles on writing fiction along with online resource links, guest posts and of course info about her and her books. Lots of tips and helps in those articles and guest posts. Definitely worth a look. 

Writing Your Novel - Tormenting Your Hero

It's a lovely, sunny day after much needed rain so what could be a better writing topic to discuss than tormenting your hero?

We all know that every hero needs an adversary - the "anti-hero". That pretty much goes without saying. But there's more to tension and a good story than the good guy vs. the bad guy slugging it out. There are all those other characters - sort of like the family members you might like to forget.

Think about all the books you've read and for that matter, the movie's you'v...

Writers Websites Wednesday - Dumb Little Man

Okay,  Dumb Little Man isn't only a writer's site - it's an everyone site.
I like the writing and I like the helpful tips for life. Read 3 Easy Ways to Improve Your Brainpower and check out the others. He promises to weekly provide tips that will save money, increase productivity or simply keep you sane.  Let me know if you like it too. 
I don't think he's so dumb...