Blog
When to Quit and When to Pivot? by Steph Beth Nickel
Does the title make your heart race and your blood pressure increase? Quit? What do you mean quit? We’ve been taught to complete what we start, whether it’s the food on our plate or every book we pick up to read. Plus, some personality types are especially hard on themselves if they even consider pivoting,… Read more »
Sin Sceal Eile by Steph Beth Nickel
While on vacation, I purchased a t-shirt bearing the words “sin sceal eile,” which is Irish Gaelic for “that’s another story.” How appropriate! There are several applications of this expression for us as writers: When we come up with an idea for a book, personal essay, or blog post, it’s helpful to jot down enough… Read more »
Giving and Receiving Feedback Part 2 by Sandi Somers
In Part 1, I emphasized the process of critiques. Critiques often come in the development phase of writing. It’s where the author has offered a short piece in progress (three pages or fewer), or has difficulty developing particular areas of the writing. Part 2 now focuses on Beta Readers. What are beta readers? They are… Read more »
Giving and Receiving Feedback by Sandi Somers
When our local InScribe writers group began, we gradually brought more and more items to critique. Often our comments centred on the techniques of grammatical structures. We soon realized we needed more in-depth analysis. I knew that effective critiquing encourages and elevates excellent writing, both for the writer and those critiquing. While I had received… Read more »
The Importance of Collaboration by Steph Beth Nickel
This post first appeared on Janet Sketchley’s blog, Tenacity, on October 27, 2023: There are many expressions of collaboration among creatives, in particular, among writers. Below are just three of the possibilities: Coauthoring a Book I am currently working on a collaboration with Paralympian Deb Willows to complete her second memoir. This past week, I… Read more »
Writing Inspiration, It’s Everywhere by Steph Beth Nickel
As writers, we’re often asked where we get our ideas. The answers are far-reaching. When I was in Scotland for our son’s wedding nine years ago, we went on several hikes. On one of these excursions, I took a rest by the side of the path and snapped a few pictures of the woodland. Because… Read more »
Deadline Coming! by Brenda J. Wood
Who hasn’t struggled with those words? They hover over our shoulders like parents checking homework. We know it’s coming. We smell it in the air. We taste the absence of words. We watch calendar pages flip and murmur, “What will I write? What can I contribute? Why did I even sign on? What if the… Read more »
The Story of a Short Story by Brenda J. Wood
Humor writer Brenda J. Wood considers the benefits (and drawbacks) of writing short fiction. The trouble with a short story is that it starts out with only one plotline, a scant number of characters, and a writer who is perhaps bored with the whole thing. You know what I’m talking about. We create characters that… Read more »
The ABCs of the Writing Life Pt 2 by Tracy Krauss
D is for Discipline Writing takes discipline—the same type of self-regulation required of athletes, musicians, or anyone who is serious about their calling. No matter how busy, people tend to make time for the things that are important to them. I’m going to be blunt. For most of us, “I’m too busy,” is just an… Read more »
The ABCs of the Writing Life Pt 1 by Tracy Krauss
A is for Authenticity Authenticity is a trendy word that has lost some of its meaning in recent years because of overuse. What does it really mean to write authentically? Authenticity means writing from a place of passion, not necessarily following the latest trend. While we need to be mindful of our audience, readers can… Read more »