Category: Writing

Mommie Dearest: The Mother Wound & Fiction

Toxic mother figures can inflict wounds their children carry for a lifetime. If we study the backgrounds of some of the most infamous killers in history, we see a disturbing pattern emerge when it comes to the role of mothers, especially in the early developmental years.

The Deepest Wounds: Lies, Deception & Betrayal

Lies (the diabolical kind) do real damage that will never be completely undone. We can heal, but are never the same.

A broken arm can mend and work just fine, but an X-ray will always show evidence of the break. We carry that fracture literally to our graves.

Fiction Filler: Bloated Writing Makes Readers Sick

Fiction filler is like fillers in food. It makes a little bit of good stuff go a lot farther, but at what cost? How much of this pink slime prose can we really get away with before readers feel ill?

Literary Larceny & Why People Should Be Ashamed

broken window, shattered glass, stealing. larceny

Literary larceny is a new ‘trend’ that is normalizing stealing from authors. Stealing from authors—or anyone for that matter—is NOT okay.

Memory: Shape Characters & Sharpen Conflict

Memory is what makes paper-doll characters come to life. Too many new writers stop at surface description.