Andy Peloquin's Blog, page 31

Author Spotlight: R. J. Davies Mornix

Instead of my usual Monday post, I’m doing something different: shining a spotlight on a fellow indie author/wonderful friend.

About the Author:

R. J. Davies Mornix was born in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario lived in Toronto for a few years, currently resides in the Sault. She has been writing since she was 8 years of age, (if you ask her mother she would say she was telling stories since she was 6) day dreaming, creating, developing characters, places and tales of woe. Attended Sault College, started out in Police Foundations and then graduated from Computer Engineering.​

Constantly researching story ideas, conversations, and scenes in ratty notebooks, napkins and slips of torn coffee stained envelopes. Most favorite questions start off with “What if” … what if this happens, what if that happens, what would it be like if this was real? Or what if that was real? She likes reading theoretical physics books, science fiction and hanging out with her minions, husband Dave and two sons.

 

R.J. has just released the first book in her Maddox Files series, following the exploits and adventures of young Dice Maddox, PI. If you love those classic Private Eye novels, this is a book you’ll want to get in on!

Maddox Files: Back to Business

A riveting jacked-in dreamy mind-bender

Dice Maddox a private investigator in Toronto. First case back after a four year hiatus … but could her first case back be her last?

Ryan Winters a confirmed bachelor walks into her office with marital issues. Mrs. Lily Winters has everyone except Ryan convinced that they are newlyweds.

Since coming back to the PI business, Dice has discovered her uncle who was her partner and boss first, was keeping secrets. His x-files cases were vast and strange. She had no idea he had these other cases and had kept them from her.

Mrs. Lily Winters fits right into that category. Dice soon discovers Lily Winters isn’t human. But what is she? Alien? Demon? And what does she want with Ryan Winters?

 

Here’s a Taste:

An unseen battle was happening in the universe. It’s a power struggle between good and evil. She chuckled at the thought. As the battle wore on, the lines between the two were getting blurred. Good was mucking up things and getting their hands dirty in the process … real dirty. They no longer could hold their heads high and look down their noses at her kind.

It was becoming more of a battle between those with good intentions and evil … at the end of the day, was there any difference? There was none that she could see. Yet, as a dutiful warrior she would trudge on for her team. Earth was another playground where its occupants were merely pawns in this drawn out struggle. Back on Earth, she inhaled deeply. Smelling them … the humans everywhere, it was like a childhood memory. She had some good times here.

Power … control … these were the weapons of choice for her side. The tug-of-war raged on. Sitting in human form in a small cafe … she mused as she kept a watchful eye on him sitting across the room from her. They sat in the same small restaurant.

Her target … Mr. Ryan Winters, young, strong, handsome … but more importantly brilliant. Catching him now before he became successful was a power play move that would pay off in the long run. Fragile … the whole lot of them … including Mr. Winters. She felt comparable to the wolf hidden amongst the flock of sheep in sheep’s clothing … mingling with them, smiling at them … all the while plotting and planning against them.

On the outside, she appeared to be a very attractive female, and this time around she would go by the name of Lily Winters.

She spied her prize sheep across the room. He was keeping a watchful eye on a table where two young ladies were seated and deep in conversation. They hadn’t noticed him. He sat alone, reading or pretending to read a book. The woman that captured his attention appeared attractive, average height, fit … and her dark hair had the ends tipped blue. He waited until her friend got up and left, then approached her. He said something … she laughed, then got up and left.

It was a wise move. Lily Winters was not going to let her sheep stray too far. No, no, no, she had plans for this one. A delicious grin spread across her red lips as she watched Mr. Winters pay his bill and head back to his office like the good little sheep he was. She mused at the thought of her delicious plans for him.

 

 

Find the book on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Maddox-Files-Business-Davies-Mornix-ebook/dp/B01BOPEVFE/

Or Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/maddox-files-r-j-davies-mornix/1123404441?ean=9781504345392

You can find more about Rhonda on her website, or sign up for her newsletters/giveaways/updates: http://www.rjdaviesmornix.ca

Follow her on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/R-J-Davies-Mornix-Author-253530731521799/

Tweet at her: https://twitter.com/rmornix

Watch her YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_YpKdxSmjjkNiQcYVeJoiw

 

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Life Advice to Live By

Here are a few pieces of life advice that I’ve tried to live my life by:

If you blame it on someone else, don’t expect it to get better. – You’re the one responsible for 99% of your problems, and you’re the only one who can fix it. It doesn’t matter if it’s health issues, interpersonal problems, or lack of motivation–it’s YOUR life, so it’s time for YOU to deal with the problem.

“There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self.” — I love this Ernest Hemingway quote! It’s easy to feel that you are better than your friend, your girlfriend’s ex, or your father/mother-in-law, but it’s not a competition to be better than anyone else. The only person you are in competition with is yourself. The only way to make progress is to be “better” than the person you were yesterday, last week, and last year.

Have the courage to live a life true to yourself, not the life others expect of you. – This is always easier said than done! We all have a lot of things we believe we “should” do, say, and be. If we live life according to those “should’s”, chances are we’ll strive for a pretty impossible-to-achieve standard. To life a truly fulfilling life, you need to determine what matters to you, and strive for THOSE things. Everything else is fluff.

Only pack what you can carry yourself. – I like to think this means “handle your own shit”. If you have problems, deal with it yourself. If you want to take on a new project or challenge, make sure you are able to handle it. You’ll always have people to support you, but you shouldn’t bite off more than you can realistically chew.

Don’t give up what you want most for what you want now. – This is one I cling to when I’m sitting at my desk hammering away at a keyboard while all of my friends are out partying, or when I’m drinking a cup of water instead of having a beer. There are a lot of things I really want in life, and as tough as it may be, I’m okay to give up on a lot of the “right now” things if it means I eventually get the “want most” things.

Try not to take anything personally. No one thinks about you as much as you do. — Nowhere else in life is this as true as with children. My kids are always doing things that drive me nuts, but they’re not doing it to disrespect or disobey ME–they’re just doing it because they want to. If I take it personally, it can be blown out of proportion. But I’m not even in the equation! When I remember that, it’s easier to manage the situation objectively.

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Book Review: Rising Storm by Kat Gracey

It’s Book Review Wednesday, and today I’m bringing you something a bit unusual (for my reading palate). Our book this week deals with witches, werewolves, and shifters–not my cup of tea, but a pretty solid read overall!

Rising Storm

Tempest Knox lives in Luna Bay, a small Island with a history of supernatural occurrences. Most of them caused by her family. She comes from a long line of witches.

When her grandmother disappears, it’s up to Tempest to clear out her house. She discovers her grandmother’s spell book hidden in a trunk. Tempest has never believed the witch rumors and while drunk, she reads a love spell.

The next morning she finds a naked man on the doorstep. Add to that a coven working out of the local tea shop and her grandmother’s strange cat, and Tempest finds herself in over her head.

My Review: 4 Stars

I received this book in exchange for an honest review.

Let me preface this review by saying that this book is NOT my usual fare. I’m not big on paranormal romance/witches/shifters. I struggled to keep reading due to this fact.

However, the book was well-written, with a solid main character that hooked my attention. The supporting characters/love interests made me cringe a little, but the Tempest Knox character is definitely one that I want to read more of.

I didn’t encounter any big revelations or jaw-dropping plot twists, but the story was steady, consistent, and well-paced. Not too predictable, but a good read overall. Once again, not my preferred reading, but it convinced me to read the Book 2 when it comes out. Well done to the author!

Here’s a Taste:

“Come on, push, Melissa.”

“I am,” she snapped back. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. She was supposed to give birth in a hospital with doctors and lots of drugs. Not here on her mother’s crappy couch, that had been here since she was born.

“I see the head,” her mother said.

Melissa gripped the couch cushion and pushed again, silently praying that the child wouldn’t be like him. She tried to ignore the chanting in the corner. The coven were all here, five members dressed in dark robes, they were casting protection spells against him. She had eluded him for months and she was sure he hadn’t followed her here, but it was better to be safe rather than sorry.

She pushed again, teeth gritted, resisting the urge to scream at the pain, and the baby slid free.

“It’s a girl,” her mother said, carefully swaddling her in a white blanket.

The child immediately began to wail. As she did, a clap of thunder boomed outside the window and the heavens opened up. It had been a peaceful April evening only moments before, with no mention of rain. That could only mean one thing.

Melissa looked at her mother and she could see that she was thinking it too.  It was the child’s doing. She had caused the storm.

As her mother lowered the red faced, mewling infant into her arms, Melissa started sobbing, “She’s only just been born. How powerful is she?”

Her mother shushed her, “Don’t worry about that now. You have a beautiful baby girl. Have you thought of a name?”

Melissa stared out the storm. “Tempest.”

 

***

 

He stood under the shelter of the trees as the rain pelted him. He could hear the cries of the baby from here. He was too late. The plan had been to stop Melissa before she got back here to the island, but she had eluded him. When he got here, the whole island was protected against him. He couldn’t set foot on it. Weeks turned into months as he tried to bring the barrier down. Everything failed.

Then she came along – his benefactor. She could move freely between the island and the mainland. She agreed to help him remove the wards in exchange for his help in collecting power.

He finally got through only to find that Melissa had outmaneuvered him again.

Knox witches have always been difficult, but they’re smart too. And Melissa knew him better than anyone.

The coven made it impossible for him to get any closer. He wouldn’t be able to lay a finger on her now.

After all this time, he never thought he would end up back here. He still recalled the day he arrived, the first time, washed up on the shore to the east. Ripped from his resting spot, he was unceremoniously dumped on this wretched island.

The first person he saw when he stepped onto dry land was Melissa. There were plenty of beautiful women in the world but there was something about her that pulled him in and it wasn’t just the power she exuded. At first he believed that she was the one who summoned him, but she had no idea what he was. Not then anyway.

She was easy to lure away back then, gullible.

Every time the lightning struck, he would catch a glimpse of them around the house. The coven and their spells. Without Melissa’s power to add to his own, he wouldn’t be able to break through their defenses.

She appeared beside him, his benefactor; her face hidden under a hood, “What now?” she drawled.

“You were supposed to help me stop Melissa. Now she’s protected, back in the family home. The child too.”

“If you hadn’t let her escape in the first place, we wouldn’t have a problem.”

He resisted the urge to smite her where she stood. She still had uses, although not many. Instead he took a few steps closer to the house, trying to catch a glimpse of Melissa through the window. The rain was falling too heavily to see clearly, but he knew she was thinking of him. How could she not be? After all she was bringing his child into the world.

“You will stay here and keep watch, wait for an opportunity,” he ordered.

“And what do I get in return?”

“All I want is Melissa. You can take the child’s powers as payment.”

She nodded, “Good.”

He saw that reptilian looking smile on her face. She was so predictable. He hated that in a woman.

“Keep me informed.”

Let Melissa enjoy motherhood for a while. It wouldn’t last. He would get to her eventually.

About the Author

Kat Gracey: I live in Northern Ireland and I write about my two favourite supernatural creatures – witches and werewolves.  Rising Storm is my third novel to be released after Werewolves of Eden and Witch Moon.

Find the book on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Rising-Storm-Tempest-Knox-Book-ebook/dp/B01DGX3M3O/

Read Kat’s thoughts on her website: www.witchesandwerewolves.co.uk

Follow her on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TempestKnoxSeries/

 

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Awesome Resources for Creative Writing: Grammar Girl

When it comes to creative writing, the “creative” is so much easier than the “writing”. It’s so easy to come up with a beautiful scene, an elaborate plot, or a complex character background. But when it comes time to actually write it into a book or story, that’s where most of us fall short. Using words to paint a picture is a lot harder than we realize!

Finding creative writing resources is always a challenge, which is why I was so happy to stumble across the Grammar Girl column on the Quick and Dirty Tips website. The column has a pretty extensive range of random grammar and writing tips on just about every topic under the sun.

Source: niemanlab.org

Granted, some of them are a bit more eccentric, such as:

The Origin of “Straw Man”
What is a Canard?
Should You Capitalize “The Force” in Star Wars?
Plural of Mongoose

The column covers a wide range of strange and unusual grammar tips, so prepare to do a bit of sifting to find more useful information among the highly eclectic collection. However, there are a lot of very helpful posts, such as:

What is a Subordinate Clause?
New Words in the 2016 Merriam-Webster Update
Formatting Internal Dialogue: Quotation Marks or Italics?
Exclamation Points
How to Use Commas
And/Or
How Shakespeare Used Prepositions

If you need help polishing your grammar, the information you can find on Grammar Girl’s column can come in handy. Just be ready to wade through a lot of “clickbait” topics (Celebrity Grammar, products, quizzes, etc.)!

 

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Book Review: Landquaker by Dean Wilson

It’s Book Review Wednesday! Today, I’m thrilled to bring you Landquaker, the fourth book in The Great Iron War series. If you like steampunk, this is the series for you!

(Note: Read my reviews of Book 1, Book 2, and Book 3 to catch up…)

 

Landquaker

The Resistance has barely nursed its wounds from the recapture of Blackout, and it is now looking to another, tougher target: the massive steam-powered railway gun known as the Landquaker. They call the vast railroad the Iron Wall, and that mounted barrel is its only sentry. It does not need another.

Blackout was a sitting duck, but the Landquaker is a moving target, and not only one that shoots back, but one that shoots first. The Resistance turns to old allies and new friends, from the land-loving tribes to the land-roving biker gangs. It will need every soldier it can muster.

The Landquaker was designed with a singular purpose: a monstrous gun to hold back a multitude of monsters. Except this time the multitude mans that weapon, and in its hands the land is not the only thing that will quake.

My Review: 4 Stars

I’ve enjoyed this series immensely since the beginning, and this book is a solid continuation. I’d have to say that each book is getting better than the last!

The good:

- Loved the continued journey of the main character Jacob. He’s gone from a rogue to a hero-ish character in a very believable way. Great job!

- Many of the supporting characters (Mudro, Rommond, etc.) are still fascinating, with ever-increasing layers.

- Enjoyed the continued exploration of the world. The bigger it gets, the more I want to learn about it.

- Thrilled to find out more about the “demons” of the world.

- Loved the “Great Train Robbery” feel of it all.

The not-so-good:

- Some of the supporting characters (Taberah, Brooklyn, and the kid) lost my interest a tad.

- Not a huge fan of the “machine spirits” addition. It felt a bit out of place in the highly technological world. But that’s just my preference.

- The story didn’t move as fast as the previous books. The climax was excellent, but it took a lot of build-up to get there.

All in all, a VERY good choice for steampunk readers–for anyone who enjoys a good action book, really. I can’t wait to see what crazy steampunk weapon of mass destruction is slated for the next book/s.

Here’s a Taste:

As they headed further into the desert, Rommond looked into the Long Spyglass, scouring the railway in the east. He could not see any sign of the Landquaker, which meant it was either far south or far north, further than the magnification reached. He turned the scope with a creak to either side. He saw Mudro’s moving charade in the south, and it looked convincing. In the north, he just saw a haze of sand, and that was reassuring. He turned the spyglass back to the railway, and still could not see anything. He was growing nervous now. If it was in the south, that was great news, but if it was in the north, where Taberah’s team was hastening, it was the worst news of all.

He stared into the spyglass for an hour, until sleep began to stare back at him. He had not slept well the night before. No one did on the eve of battle. Then, just as slumber almost had him, he saw something travelling swiftly from the corner of his right eye. He turned the spyglass to see it, and there it was: the Landquaker in all its might and majesty, thundering along those rails, its gun pointing forward, away from the landships. It would not point that way for long.

Rommond watched it grow in size, looking at all the little details, the little swirls and motifs that he and Brooklyn had painted on together, that were Brooklyn’s tribal stamp, and his artistic affront to the Regime’s minimalistic style. He also saw that the vessel was now overlayed with the emblem of the Regime, that black square upon a red cross, all angular, without a curve in sight. Its red frame was enhanced by rust. Rommond was certain that the rust would not impede its dreadful firepower, or its tremendous speed along those well-maintained tracks. There were regular inspections by smaller trains and carriages, one of which Rommond was counting on Jacob and company to commandeer.

Then the moment came when he no longer needed the spyglass to see the railway gun. There it was on the horizon, a minuscule figure with a monstrous payload. As soon as that moment came, he knew the battle was on. The platoons split apart, changing formation, abandoning the winding serpent for a wall of their own. They kept a reasonable distance from one another, but Rommond knew it would not be enough.

The first shell came down with an ear-rending whistle, and an eye-roasting burst of light. By the time Rommond’s eyes adjusted, he saw smoke billowing to his left, where the wrecks of two landships smouldered. He was just glad it was not from his platoon. He could not afford to lose a single one. Not yet.

The second shell hurtled down at the head of Leadman’s forces, casting one of the landships into the air. The others swerved to avoid it, and they were glad they were in Brooklyn’s newer models then, which did not take so long to turn.

A third and fourth shell landed in quick succession, showing that the Landquaker’s barrel had rotated fully into place, allowing full use of the loading mechanism, with all the enhancements that Brooklyn had once made. The shells exploded at the front of the formation, missing the landships, but scouring the land and casting up thick clouds of smoke.

Another shell struck the landship just in front of the trucks bearing the Long Spyglass and Rommond, casting the landship up and spinning it back towards them. Rommond ducked, but the spyglass was struck, sending the barrel spinning off on its own. The back truck toppled over, and the general tumbled into the sand. The front truck stopped, and the driver turned to beckon to him.

“Drive!” Rommond shouted, gesturing forward. “Drive!”

But another shell came down upon the motionless truck, making sure that everyone inside was motionless too. The general sighed and shook his head. Some troops let their compassion overcome their training. They forgot his oft-used words: Forward is the only direction. For your feet. For your eyes. For your gun.

About the Author:

Dean F. Wilson was born in Dublin, Ireland in 1987. He started writing at age 11, when he began his first (unpublished) novel, entitled The Power Source. He won a TAP Educational Award from Trinity College Dublin for an early draft of The Call of Agon (then called Protos Mythos) in 2001.

He is the author of the Children of Telm epic fantasy trilogy and the Great Iron War steampunk series.

Dean also works as a journalist, primarily in the field of technology. He has written for TechEye, Thinq, V3, VR-Zone, ITProPortal, TechRadar Pro, and The Inquirer

Find the book on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01ARX21O2/

Or Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01ARX21O2/

Read Dean’s thoughts on his website: http://www.deanfwilson.com

Connect with him on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/deanfwilson

Or on Google+: https://plus.google.com/+DeanFWilson

Tweet at him: https://twitter.com/deanfwilson

 

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Awesome Resources for Creative Writing: TV Shows

Warning: This could be a controversial subject for some. All thoughts/comments are welcome!

In the last year or so, I have become somewhat of a TV-phile. While movies are fun, I love the serialized story-telling of TV shows. As a novelist writing a series, I find that watching TV actually helps me to better understand what goes into telling a story over the course of years.

Let’s take one of the most popular shows on TV today: Supernatural.

Over the last decade (11 seasons!), Supernatural has gone through a wide range of changes–from character deaths, new characters, the weekly monster, the season-long story arcs, and the list goes on. And yet, despite all the changes, the show remains about one thing: the relationship between the two brothers.

What makes Supernatural work? Is it the decent CGI effects, the ever-worsening bad guys, or the epic supporting characters (here’s looking at you Crowley and Castiel)? While all of these things play a role, the show is only around because it continues to explore the central premise (the sibling relationship) from new angles.

The moment I understood that, everything in my approach to writing changed. I no longer tried to come up with a new theme for each new novel in my six-book series The Last Bucelarii, but I stuck to one or two central themes (finding a place in a world where you are an outsider, coming to terms with who you are) and built every story around that. Each new story approaches that theme from a different angle, using different challenges to test the main character.

Watching TV has become much more educational in the last few years. I’ve learned so much from watching TV shows, such as:

How to keep people interested in the same characters week after week (or novel after novel)
The importance of changing things up and finding the new, without going too far out to left field
The value of callbacks–bringing things up at the end of the season (novel) that was there in episode 1 (chapter one).
How minor details can have large repercussions
and so much more…

I’m not going to lie: watching TV does take a lot of time, perhaps even a bit more time than I should be spending on it. But I’ve stopped watching TV for pure entertainment value, and I’ve begun to use it as a learning experience. If I can find what makes shows like Supernatural, The Flash, or The Walking Dead so popular and include that in my work, I believe it will make my creative writing just that much better.

 

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The Difficulty of Simplicity

Brazilian Jewish writer Clarice Lispector once said, “I only achieve simplicity with enormous effort.” Truer words were never spoken!

As writers, it’s our job to communicate with as much clarity as possible. This means using the best words to convey meaning. For example, a good writer knows that you NEVER say “He ran quickly”. Instead, you say “He sprinted” or “He darted”. You use fewer words and convey a meaning with greater clarity.

But boy is that hard to do!

I’m willing to bet that the hardest part of writing for most writers is trying to speak clearly and with brevity. I know that when I write, I can agonize over the right way to say something. It’s not about what I’m trying to say, but HOW to say it so that the reader understands what I’m trying to say, and with as few words as possible.

Coming up with a story is the easy part, at least for me. I can paint detailed pictures in my head of settings, facial expression, character motivations, action scenes, and plot twists. But actually translating those mental pictures into written word is the struggle. As writers, we have to paint those pictures with words, and it’s incredibly challenging to do so in a way that the reader sees the same thing we do.

But that’s what separates the amateur writers from the professionals, and the good from the great. When you read about “cutting adverbs” and “limiting prepositions”, it’s not about following a specific formula for “good writing”. Instead, it’s about learning how to be clear and concise at the same time.

With verbal communication, more words are often a good thing. A conversation can only continue when two people continue to speak words to each other. But with written communication, less is more. Therein lies the challenge of writing. You have to communicate the thought or concept clearly, but without overwriting it. Your goal as a writer is to find ways to streamline your communication as much as possible. If you write like you speak, you’ll lose the reader’s interest. You have to write like you write, and eliminate EVERY unnecessary word from your prose/poetry. Economy of words is the key to holding your reader’s interest!

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Book Review: Queen of Bones by Greg Zimmerman

It’s Book Review Wednesday! Today, I’ve got a very unusual sort of book: a post-apocalyptic novel with a disabled person as the main character. How does that work? Read it and find out…

 Queen of Bones

A seventeen-year-old orphan, alone in the deadly post-apocalyptic world. She’s feisty, yet vulnerable; a woman, and yet a young girl. And with her discovery, she just might be Humanity’s savior. Meet Sara Hill…

Queen of Bones is a the story of a young woman’s fight for survival in a post-apocalyptic world where burning solar storms have reduced the human race to roving bands of murderous desperadoes. Sara Hill, young, beautiful, partially disabled, and alone, has made a discovery that could turn the tide of the coming extinction of the human race. But can she reach the fabled outpost where a few survivors are struggling to re-create civilization?

 

My Review: 4 Stars

I got a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review…

Overall, this is a book I would recommend to anyone who enjoys post-apocalyptic stories. Instead of a zombie apocalypse or a virus outbreak, the sun is the cause of all the world’s troubles. Solar flares have killed off billions of people, leaving just a lucky few.

But the main character is not so lucky. Her arthritis makes her vulnerable and weak in a world where the weak die first. I loved how this differently-abled person is able to survive BECAUSE of her disability, rather than despite it.

It’s an interesting story, though I must admit the first 25 to 40% of the book seemed somewhat unnecessary. While it’s important to establish the character’s survival instincts and determination, it felt like the author was torturing the character for the heck of it. I don’t mind grim or dark, but a lot of the suffering did little more than highlight the brutality of the post-apocalyptic world without actually contributing to real character development.

There were a few “iffy” mistakes–for example, the tense changed from present to past repeatedly, there are some punctuation and grammar problems, and so on. The concept of the book was great, but the execution fell just a tad short in my opinion. Still, a book definitely worth reading, if not for the novelty of a disabled heroine!

 

About the Author

A licensed professional engineer, G. ZIMMERMAN has been writing stories since he was ten years old. He has released five short stories in literary magazines and e-zines, and writes primarily supernatural fiction and psychological horror. A graduate of the University of Illinois, Zimmerman is married with three children, a dog, and three cats, and lives in the Seattle area.

Find the book on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01DMPDXVM/

Connect on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorgzimmerman/

 

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Awesome Resources for Creative Writing: Purdue’s Online Writing Lab

Creative writing is a never-ending learning process! No matter how good you think you are, you can always be better. It’s vital to learn and improve your writing as much as possible, and that’s where these writing resources come in handy…

Most universities offer complete creative writing programs, but when it comes to free resources, only a few have any of real value. Purdue’s Online Writing Lab is definitely one of the best to help you find a wide range of pretty awesome resources to improve your writing.

The OWL contains a lot of information pertaining to academic writing, personal correspondence, and community-engaged writing, but the creative writing-focused material is quite extensive.

The Writing Process – This section contains information on the pre-writing and development process, including outlines and questions, and themes. You can also find details on dealing with writer’s block, proofreading, and more about the nitty gritty details that go into sitting down and writing.

Common Writing Assignments – This section has information on book reports, reviews, academic papers, research papers, and other types of writing assignment. They may not be creative writing types, but it’s a good refresher course for ghostwriters and copywriters.

Mechanics – This section gets into the actual mechanics of writing: sentence structure, spelling, numbering, the parts of speech, sentence clarity, and other nitty gritty details. Definitely worth looking over if you’re not 100% certain that you’re writing every sentence perfectly. (I know I don’t have that total confidence…)

Grammar – This section looks at grammar, including adjectives, adverbs, spelling, prepositions, pronouns, and the list goes on. All writers struggle with some grammar elements, and this page has resources to help you learn the proper way to create beautiful sentences.

Punctuation – This section looks at commas, colons, apostrophes, semi-colons, hyphens, and all the rest. If you’re anything like me, you’ve struggled with proper punctuation on more than one occasion. Not the most enjoyable lesson, but very important to learn.

The OWL is definitely worth checking out if you want to sharpen your writing skills!

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Zen Friday: Quotes to Make You Wiser

Today I’m feeling particularly “zen”. Despite an intense week (sickness, work, writing, kids, and life), I survived! Here are a few quotes that helped get me through the week:

We are made wise not by the recollection of our past, but by the responsibility for our future. — George Bernard Shaw

It’s the little details that are vital. Little things make big things happen. — John Wooden

If you’re trying to achieve, there will be roadblocks. I’ve had them; everybody has had them. But obstacles don’t have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don’t turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it. — Michael Jordan

Knowledge comes, but wisdom lingers. It may not be difficult to store up in the mind a vast quantity of facts within a comparatively short time, but the ability to form judgments requires the severe discipline of hard work and the tempering heat of experience and maturity. — Calvin Coolidge

Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment. —  Jim Rohn

Step with care and great tact, and remember that Life’s a Great Balancing Act. — Dr. Seuss

One’s philosophy is not best expressed in words; it is expressed in the choices one makes… and the choices we make are ultimately our responsibility. — Eleanor Roosevelt

Be as you wish to seem. — Socrates

We should not judge people by their peak of excellence; but by the distance they have traveled from the point where they started. — Henry Ward Beecher

Use what talents you possess; the woods would be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang best. – Henry Van Dyke

Knowledge is of no value unless you put it into practice. — Anton Chekhov

Quotes taken from Brainy Quotes

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