I have been teaching a poetry unit now since September and my students are working in groups to find meaning in poetry using several close analysis methods. The methods I have used so far have been: 1. TPCASTT – T-title: The meaning of the title without reference to the poem. P-paraphrase: Put the poem, line by line, … Continue reading »
Tagged with literature …
Less is More: Our Writing Is Frittered Away By Detail
Writing is an ever changing chameleon. If we examine texts written throughout the ages we soon begin to notice a pattern of writing styles that change over time. Everyone remembers Shakespeare, his eloquent speeches, powerful dialogue and dramatic scenes forever burned into our memory. If one picks up a copy of a best selling … Continue reading »
Writing Believable Dialogue
One of the most important keys to writing an engaging novel is dialogue. However, some writers are able to write it well, and some writers have trouble. Today I thought I would discuss four pitfalls that writers often find themselves and some ways to combat this nasty issue. Problem #1: Stilted Dialogue Stilted dialogue is … Continue reading »
Inspiration Comes from Everywhere
As you all know, I just finished the rough draft of This Broken Earth: Book 1, The U.S. of After and after revising a few times sent it off to my readers for review. This does not mean I stop working. I am simply in a holding pattern while I work up the nerve to start … Continue reading »
Finishing a Rough Draft: a Retrospective
Yesterday at 3:17pm I finished the rough draft of Book I: The U.S. of After, the first installment of a larger novel This Broken Earth. The novel is about the lives of several individuals on a trek to find their way to New Orleans from Norman, Oklahoma after the events of World War 3 and a vicious pandemic … Continue reading »
“Tolkien’s 10 Tips” Article Featured On Jonathan Gunson’s Site
I feel giddy. Jonathan Gunson, best selling author, e-mailed me a few days ago and asked if I would like to let him publish my article Tolkien’s 10 Tips for Writers on his website. Follow this link to check it out!
E-Book Sharing Sites and the Self-Published Author
I’m sure that many of you are guilty of visiting sites like 4Share and Scribd to find that book you really want to read. Some thrifty pirate out there has taken the file that was once a .mobi file for Kindle or an Epub and cracked the DRM and then posted it for free on … Continue reading »
5 Editing Strategies for the Self-Published Novelist
We self-published authors don’t have the luxury of a team of editors, a crack commando unit of wordsmiths that go through our rough drafts and snipe away at the roguish bad writing, errors, type-os, and other problems that will drag down our work and make it look less than professional. I have taught writing for … Continue reading »
5 Ways to Meet a Deadline
As an independent author, I set my own deadlines for rough drafts and the final draft publishing date. However, just because I do this myself doesn’t mean I don’t hold myself to the standard of finishing on time. You might say: “You’re not like a real novelist who has a deadline from a publisher set in … Continue reading »
5 Ways to Work With Stubborn Writing
I spent last week with my son at camp and then visiting my uncle, and today it’s back to the laptop to start working on the novel again. My only problem is that this scene I am about to write just doesn’t flow out of my head and through my keyboard like I’d prefer. It … Continue reading »
