After writing coach client Barbara Hinske sent me her manuscript to review, I came back with two major suggestions: She had neglected one entire narrative thread involving the book's villains that begged to be developed. She needed to let the action--rather than...
Some people might say that I'm stubborn. When it comes to not letting a good book die, they'd be right. I wrote the first book about the stalking of ordinary people 20 years ago. It was published as a mass paperback. It did okay, but not great. That's what happens...
When I was in college, I took a bilingual creative writing class. Most of the students, including me, wrote stories and poems in either English or Spanish, or sometimes in both. Since I'm also fluent in French, having lived in Paris as a kid, I also wrote in French....
A friend who has brought me on to help with her romance novel sent me the following email about what a difference punctuation can make. It made me laugh, so I figured I would share it. After you read it, I think you'll agree that punctuation can, indeed, make all the...
In my ongoing effort to out bad grammar committed by very public figures, I turned to TV's cooking shows. Talk about fertile ground! "We're going to rinse [the pasta] really good so it stops cooking," said the host of Home for Dinner with Jamie Deen. Jamie, you say...
"Are people still really blogging?" asked a friend of mine when I announced that I was going to start helping people as a blog coach. After more than a decade of working with individuals as a writing coach, it just made sense. Yes, people are blogging, especially if...
It's the holiday season. If you're like me, you've been buying and/or making gifts for those close to you. Maybe you've even bought yourself a present. I know I have (can you say Galaxy tablet?). I love treating myself. And if I can treat myself to something that will...
You may not have left your heart in San Francisco, but you might if you wind up winning the San Francisco Writing Contest. The monetary prize is modest to be sure, but the consult with a literary agent in your genre could be priceless. You'll find the contest...
I just attended an awesome workshop given by Freedom Personal Development president Eric Plantenberg about state of mind. It turns out that while intention and action are important when trying to accomplish something—like writing a book or a blog—state of mind is even...
If you've been reading this blog, you know that I love to brag about my clients, many of whom wind up becoming friends as we work together. But that's not the only reason I wanted to share this media release I just wrote. I also hope it will give you some ideas about...
