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I'm a writer and editor (and wife and mother) sharing my love of learning, teaching, reading, and writing.

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Writer versus …

By Val, on February 6th, 2012%

There you sit, my writer duckling, staring at your blank screen, the cursor mocking you as it blinks slowly in the upper left corner waiting for you to type your first brilliant sentence. Waiting. Blinking. Waiting. Blinking.

Gah. Ideas. Who’s got a brilliant idea anyway? Better to flip over to Facebook or make a nice hot cup . . . → Read More: Writer versus …

3 comments   Ideas

Talk to strangers

By Val, on October 25th, 2010%

No, really.

Talk to strangers.

Wait a sec. Back up a minute.

Hi! Welcome back! That’s for me, not you. I left you. It turns out travel wreaks havoc—havoc, I say!—with my blog schedule. For my reference, if not for yours, this is the supposed schedule:

Monday: posts about writing. How to and How not to. The writing life. Gathering . . . → Read More: Talk to strangers

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Reader question: How do I know what to write?

By Val, on August 23rd, 2010%

My friend Lisa read Read a thousand books and sent me this e-mail:

You suggest read 1,000 books in the genre that you prefer.  What if I prefer several different genres?
Which I also feel may be part of the problem with my writing – I don’t know what genre I want to write!
I keep changing . . . → Read More: Reader question: How do I know what to write?

One comment   Ideas, Just Write

Where do writers get their ideas?

By Val, on August 9th, 2010%

At Costco, aisle 47. Right between Mary Sues* and plot conflicts.

No, really. Where do writers get their ideas? This may be the number one question writers ask other writers and usually the answer is, I dunno.

I think, as Louis Pasteur said, “Chance favors the prepared mind.” Prepare your mind and the writing ideas will come.

Write every . . . → Read More: Where do writers get their ideas?

One comment   Ideas