A place for those who find and create meaning through words
Revising a first draft often involves sifting through pages of setting, backstory, catchy phrases, not-so-catchy phrases, and everything dumped onto the page to find the point where something actually happens. A friend asked me to read the first chapters of his novel based upon his experiences in The Air Force. I highlighted a line about three pages... Continue Reading →
On a basic level, artificial intelligence is based upon the theft and recycling of writers’ ideas and word-craft— the works of artists and intellectuals of all sorts, really— who have uploaded the fruits of their sweat and hard-won skills into the cloud. Pretty cynical, I know, but perhaps an important realization in trying to figure out... Continue Reading →
Reader groups have helped my writing short-game. Spelling errors, grammar foibles, scene inconsistencies— you name it, readers have found it in my articles and short story drafts and have guided me through corrections. I cannot begin to describe all I’ve learned from engaging in the writing process with those who love story-telling and the craft,... Continue Reading →
National Public Radio correspondent Mary Louise Kelly interviewed recently Neil Clarke, senior editor of the speculative fiction journal Clarkesworld, regarding his magazine’s having to “cut-off” submissions due to an inundation of works composed by artificial intelligence. Irony aside, the notion of bots creating science fiction for a magazine specializing in science fiction— or creating anything... Continue Reading →
The December 4th, 2022 Cat and Mouse Press Beach Holidays book signing at the Lewes, Delaware Public Library brought with it the usual fun, camaraderie, and celebration-- the hallmarks of these events. The signing also came with Publisher Nancy Sakaduski's announcement this would be the last anthology in the series, number 15. I am very... Continue Reading →
The story behind a story can be more extraordinary than the story itself, which was the case with “Lucky The Chicken” published in Cat and Mouse Press’s anthology Beach Secrets. When Nancy Sakaduski, Cat and Mouse Editor and Publisher, first announced the anthology’s theme in the winter of 2021, I struggled to put together something I... Continue Reading →
I jump at group book-signings for many reasons, including learning about the writing world from editors, readers, publishers, and fellow word smiths. My short story “Lucky the Chicken” appeared in Cat and Mouse Press’s 2021 anthology Beach Secrets, which led to a July 2022 signing at the Lewes, Delaware Public Library. While signing more than a few books,... Continue Reading →
Writing a first draft is the process of creating a medium, like a sculptor selecting a stone slab for a statue. We conjure our first drafts, our blocks of stone, from thoughts and ideas then cut from these our stories, essays, poems, or informative writings. Understanding the nature of first drafts prevents us from struggling to conjure... Continue Reading →
An old witch living in the woods cursed me as a child. The woman dressed in black stepped from her dilapidated cabin and waved her crooked staff. “For playing in my forest, you shall forever confuse the words “who” and “whom” in complex sentence structures.” A friendly grammarian-sage named David Bender broke the curse years later with... Continue Reading →
I possess two writing personalities, one for my writing career and another for my role as a teacher. These craft suggestions come from my work communicating with teaching colleagues, students, parents, and student teachers-- those less interested in my poetic stylings than in getting information quickly and clearly. Here are seven tips to tighten your... Continue Reading →
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