About Me

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

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NaNoWriMo!

By Val, on November 15th, 2011%

It’s November 15. If you’re participating in National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo, you should have 25,000 words written down by now with a plan in place for writing 25,000 more. Do you? Or do you need some motivation?

Or do you need to know what NaNoWriMo is? Chances are good if you’re reading a writing blog . . . → Read More: NaNoWriMo!

3 comments   Just Write

I have a blog, what?

By Val, on May 10th, 2011%
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Once upon a time, an Editor-Writer-Mother kept a blog. She
posted twice a week, quite consistently. She discussed great books to read,
writing lessons she learned from books, and what she knew about writing and editing.

But then.

Something.

Happened.

It could have been the water heater failing in the basement,
or the pipe bursting in the garage. It could have been the . . . → Read More: I have a blog, what?

4 comments   Just Write, Writing Life

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

Just write

By Val, on August 16th, 2010%

If you want to write something—a novel, a short story, an article—you have to write. It sounds ridiculously simple, but the simplest things are often not easy (try roasting the perfect chicken sometime).  With our busy lives, children, jobs, hobbies, TV, it’s hard to carve out the time to… Just. Write.

Some people tell themselves they can’t . . . → Read More: Just write

4 comments   Just Write