Late last week, an idea struck me out of the blue. What if I devoted one day a week to a new word? The notion wouldn’t leave me alone, and when I mentioned it to a friend, she loved it. So did First Reader. Thus was born Wednesday Word Day. Without further ado, I present … Continue reading Welcome to Wednesday Word Day
Creative Writing
Overcoming Writer’s Block
(C) 2019, JJ ShaunThe dreaded Writer's Block Monster. (I'm no artist, can you tell?) I realize this is a familiar topic, but I’ve been reading a lot about Writer’s Block in the forums I follow. So, how do *I* break through my writer’s block when it threatens to derail my progress? Keep reading for a … Continue reading Overcoming Writer’s Block
Finding Stories
Sometimes it’s hard to home in on a story to tell. The Vignette Many times, what comes to my mind is a vignette rather than a story. A vignette is defined as “a short descriptive literary sketch” or a “brief incident or scene (as in a play or movie)”. If you have studied any languages, … Continue reading Finding Stories
Writing Short Fiction
Short fiction is an art form. As with any story, it must have a beginning, a middle, and an end. It must make sense and be complete. Most short stories fall in the 1,000- to 4,000-word range, although Writer’s Digest defines short stories as 1,500 to 30,000 words. Stories written using fewer than 1,000 words … Continue reading Writing Short Fiction
I’m A Writer, Now What?
I’ve spent the last several years preparing myself for retirement. After all, I’m not getting any younger, and I watched too many senior citizens struggle on a fixed income. I realized that I have skills I can use after the high-tech world was finished with me—or I was finished with it. And now that the … Continue reading I’m A Writer, Now What?
A Different Perspective
Last week First Reader and I took our new camper out for a test-camp. We took advantage of an offer to stay four days and three nights at an RV resort in the Black Hills. Now, we ride motorcycles to the region almost every year for the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally®, but we’ve never really been … Continue reading A Different Perspective
Character Creation II
Exciting characters make the most compelling stories—at least in my reading experiences. Maybe that's why my stories almost always begin with a character rather than a plot. Well, except one and I'm working on that. One of my first characters, Meegan Redoak, is still rattling around in my head. She and her friend, Skrie, are … Continue reading Character Creation II
What’s in a (Character) Name?
As writers, we spend an excessive amount of time coming up with names for our characters. Sometimes, for me at least, the character proudly announces who they are—name, history, the whole shebang. Some characters are a bit more stubborn and hoard that information like gold. My character Meegan Redoak has been with me for so … Continue reading What’s in a (Character) Name?
Friday Features I
Welcome to Friday Features. What is it all about? To be honest, I haven’t totally decided yet. I thought about blogging my freelance journey as I start a new chapter of my life. I thought about talking about some of the freaky stuff that happens in life. I thought about a lot of things. So, … Continue reading Friday Features I
Ch-Ch-Changes
So, I’m “retired.” What does that mean exactly? For one, it means that I have a whole lot more time on my hands. The trick will be to figure out how to fill that time in a meaningful manner. My brain is all atwitter with ways I could fill said time, but I tend to … Continue reading Ch-Ch-Changes
J.J. Shaun 