A rose by any other name might smell as sweet, but when it comes to your characters, names matter. A lot. Would Harry Potter be the same character if he’d been named Archibald Beauregard III? I think not. So where can you look to find just the right names? Well, there’s always the old standby—the…
November is right around the corner, and with it comes National Novel Writing Month. Stock up on coffee, tea, & chocolate, and let’s get writing! What is National Novel Writing Month? NaNoWriMo, as it is affectionately known by the thousands of writers who look forward to it each year, is a month-long writing free-for-all. The…
Superstition is so ingrained in our culture—in most cultures, in fact—that we may not even notice that it’s there. But those of us who live in the South know that superstition is alive and well, and we aren’t ashamed to admit it. In fact, surveys have shown the South to be the most superstitious region of the United States, with well over 40% of the population admitting to belief in some superstitions.
Spring is finally here, bringing sunshine & longer days. After months of being stuck indoors & weeks of endless rain, I’m ready to get out & play. Then I think that maybe I should be working more & playing less. But what if getting outside could be work, too? Four years ago, trying to lose…
taphophilia (n.) an abnormal attraction to & desire to visit cemeteries & graves; from the Greek taphos: burial, grave To a writer, especially a mystery writer, an attraction to cemeteries may not sound abnormal. It certainly doesn’t to me. For as long as I can remember, I’ve been fascinated by cemeteries, the older the better. Cemeteries are…
50,000 words in 30 days? That’s madness! Or is it? Over 400,000 people participated in this month of madness last year. You should join us! What is National Novel Writing Month? Why 50,000 words? National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo as it’s affectionately known by participants around the world, began in 1999 with 21 participants…