Posted in Creative Writing Tips, Polish and Publish on Apr 7th, 2011
Whenever aspiring writers send me their “fantastic, soon-to-be-bestseller” to compliment, I cringe. They’ve put a ton of effort into their manuscripts. They’ve neglected their family and social lives—and maybe even their paying jobs—to imbue their narratives with all the talent and skill they can muster. But when I read these works, I’m reminded of my [...]
Posted in Memoir Writing, My Mother's Money, Personal Essays on Nov 8th, 2010
I’ve put aside work on the memoir, My Mother’s Money, that I’ve written several posts about. The opening chapters could do with some revisions, and I don’t have many creative thoughts about them right now. I still feel the story is a gripping one, but I need to take a break from it for a [...]
Posted in Creative Writing Tips, Personal Essays, Polish and Publish on Oct 19th, 2010
Most writing fails to get published because of one main reason: The quality of the writing is weak. It’s flat, predictable, and uninteresting. It lacks depth and vitality. It doesn’t grab the reader’s attention quickly. Or it might be that the story, characters, language, or settings don’t show originality; everybody’s writing on that topic, and [...]
Posted in My Mother's Money, Personal Essays on Oct 12th, 2010
A dying woman wanting her daughter to find money she’s hidden in her house. Three people in mid life finding out that their mother has left them money, but who have little idea where it is? And before they can get some of the money they know is waiting to be claimed by them, it [...]
Posted in Personal Essays on Apr 2nd, 2010
When I started this blog I promised to share some of the few works I’ve submitted for publication that were rejected—and explain why I think the work wasn’t accepted. So, it is with a certain amount of embarrassment that I’m fulfilling that promise here. Before I submitted an essay to More magazine online that they accepted [...]
