Before you use that thesaurus…

We all have a tendency to repeat words and phrases when we’re writing, especially in longer works.  One of the tricks to get around this is to write your first draft and then use the thesaurus to correct the problem.  Sometimes this solution helps– sometimes it simply changes the problem. I’m in the edit phase […]

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April 30, 2014

Musings on the importance of the first line

A lot of people talk about having a hook, or if we are going for a fishing metaphor lure, that catches the reader’s attention long enough to hook them and draw them in… but there’s a lot more to it than that. The first line in any story tends to set the tone.  It clues […]

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April 28, 2014

FlashFriday: Re-imaging a story

Today’s prompt at FlashFriday  was particularly uninspiring for me, I did have a beginning line, but I had no idea what to do with it.  This time, rather than take you through the revision process in detail, I’m going to present the two versions of the story I wrote. The prompt:   Did I pick the […]

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Musing on voice, its advantages and disadvantages

The predictability of being unpredictable. As I’ve stated earlier, I’ve been writing for flash fiction contests for over a year now, and although almost all the judges judge ‘blind’ (they collect the stories without the author’s information) they almost always know its me. “Why?” you ask. The easiest answer is: my voice. My voice is […]

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April 24, 2014

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Flash Fiction – a Matter of Opinion

It’s hard to believe that it’s been almost a year since I started entering flash fiction competitions but I’ve learned a lot in that year: the most important lesson I think is to trust your instincts and don’t get too hung up on the judging: focus on the story. Sure, winning is great (and addictive) […]

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A few thoughts on voice and cover letters.

A lot of writing workshops and classes will talk about style and voice. These are the spices that flavor your writing and make them yours. Finding your voice as a writer is very important: it helps you establish a rapport with your reader and gives them a connection that will, hopefully, draw them into your […]

Read More A few thoughts on voice and cover letters.
April 21, 2014