We’ve all heard that we need to avoid adverbs at all costs in our writing. We’ve even heard that the “road to hell is paved with adverbs.” Nearly every list of writing tips from the experts—whether these experts be writing professors, famous authors, or just self-proclaimed writing gurus—contains something about brutally killing all adverbs. During … Continue reading Should You Avoid Adverbs In Your Writing?
A few weeks ago, I welcomed a new baby girl into my life. My writer bio now contains the line "lives in Minneapolis with his wife and daughters." It almost seems surreal. I could go on and on about how beautiful she is and how lucky I am as a father, but we all know … Continue reading How to find time to write when you are busy
A few weeks ago, I stumbled across a story that led me to develop the one-sentence test. For the sake of anonymity, I don't want to get into too many details about the story, but the "plot" was generic enough to share. The story was about a fart that led to a breakup. That was … Continue reading The One-Sentence Test: Do You Have Enough Story?
We all like having our name up in lights. But what happens when some of those light bulbs burn out? Over the course of the past ten years, I've had around 250 short stories published in various online and print venues. I won't kid myself or stroke my own ego; most of these publications are … Continue reading What To Do When Your Published Stories Disappear
As a writer, I've never been a fan of censorship. As an English teacher, I wasn't a fan of it either. I've said just about everything in the classroom, including "shit", "fuck", and more. Hell, I once told a student to "scissor me" (disclaimer: I was asking her to hand me the scissors and had … Continue reading The Dangers of Being a School Teacher and a Writer
Let's get straight to the point: if you're reading this, then you aren't a best-selling author. Heck, you might not have even made your first sale yet. Luckily, there's still plenty of time for you to turn your writing career around. You might blame the publishers, the industry, or maybe even James Franco for your … Continue reading 5 Ways You Are Sabotaging Your Writing Career
As writers, we jump for joy at the news of every acceptance. When the story is published, we rush to promote it on social media. Many times, we put a link on our own blog or website. But if you visit any writer's publication list, you are bound to find some dead links. One of … Continue reading Finding Sustainable Lit Mags
While some writers choose to hoard the majority of their work, most prefer to seek publication. I certainly fall into the latter category. As a short story writer, I have written approximately 500 "completed" stories in the past ten years. About half of these stories have been published. About one-fourth have been moved into a … Continue reading Know Why You’re Submitting Your Writing
As a writer of fiction, it may seem easy to escape from reality, to hide behind the characters and the plots we imagine. For me especially, with my tendency to write absurd and bizarre and surreal stories. Surely there's no truth, no personal element, in a story about a boy born with hands made out … Continue reading Writing from the Heart
For many writers, the editing process produces mixed feelings. Okay, perhaps that was an understatement. Editing is often a tedious chore that takes us away from accomplishing other things (like writing more stories). On the other hand, this necessary chore can often be an enjoyable experience. It allows us to relive the story, to experience … Continue reading 7 Editing Tips to Make Your Stories Better
