Category Archives: Books

Tips for Writers: The Power of Ironic Reversals

Posted on July 11, 2020 by

Dramatic tension is the key to an engaging storyline—or even an essay or blog post, for that matter. This takes the form of rising action, a series of reversals (escalating problems or crises) that must be resolved. These keep us, … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Movies, Story Power, Writing | Tagged , , , , , | 13 Comments

Summer Treats on Wheels!

Posted on June 22, 2020 by

Summer Memories Along with camping and roller rinks, I associate summer with delivery trucks. Huh? Sure, delivery guys were there year-round; the proverbial off-color tease was to suggest a particular young and attractive mom’s kids looked “an awful lot like … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Humor, Memoir | Tagged , , , , , , | 23 Comments

The Smell of Books

Posted on January 11, 2020 by

“I’ll buy a Kindle when they create a ‘book smell’ app.” I wrote that right before I caved in and bought a tablet computer. But the smell was never the point. It was the memories it evoked (although I do … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Humor, Memoir, Story Power, Writing | Tagged , , , , | 57 Comments

Eavesdropping and Etiquette

Posted on August 7, 2019 by

Originally posted on Pam Webb:
This month’s Why We Say is a batch fresh from the “E” section. Eavesdropper Going back to the Saxon days of England, a person could not build right to the property line since it was…

Image | Posted on August 7, 2019 by | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Bear With Me!

Posted on April 22, 2019 by

To my old faithfuls, and hopefully a few new faithfuls, as well: I’m scrambling to finish the first draft of my novel Over-the-Rhine (based on the screenplay of my feature film of the same name). As a result, I’ll be slow … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Humor, Movies, Popular Culture & Entertainment, Quips and Quotes, Writing | Tagged , , , | 39 Comments

Just Snap Out of It!

Posted on March 13, 2019 by

Originally posted on Valerie Cullers:
Photo by Gratisography on Pexels.com Have you ever been in a situation with someone who was going through something temporary and you wanted to say to them, “Just Snap Out of It!”? I have and…

Posted in Books, For Pastors and Teachers, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Tips for Writers: Are You a Vulcan or a Klingon?

Posted on March 1, 2019 by

“Words, words, words.” ~Hamlet Whether you are a prosaic get-to-the-point communicator or a wild and wooly wordsmith, you’ll be a better writer if you tap both sides of your brain: The accurate, logical, pragmatic Latinate side, and the The intuitive, … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Humor, Quips and Quotes, Writing | Tagged , , , , , | 49 Comments

Regrets? I have a few. . .

Posted on January 2, 2019 by

Originally posted on A Year of Living Kindly:
 “To err on the side of kindness is seldom an error.” (Liz Armbruster) In the spring of 1991, my mother decided it was time to die. Eight years of thrice-weekly kidney dialysis…

Posted in Books, Culture | Tagged , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

You-nique

Posted on November 15, 2018 by

I’ve started work on my new novel, Gone Girl on the Train with the Dragon Tattoo. This is a very personal story for me, and I deeply resent any suggestion that it is derivative of other works. Next they’ll be … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Humor, Quips and Quotes, Writing | Tagged , , , , , | 22 Comments

The Wishing Map 135

Posted on October 10, 2018 by

Originally posted on Mitch Teemley:
Note: To read The Wishing Map from the beginning, click here. The Wishing Map Epilogue: The Unknown (Continued) Previously: Rested but wary of what was to come, Gina, Zack, and their friend B’frona turned to face the future. This is the final episode…

Posted in Books, Quips and Quotes, Story Power, The Wishing Map | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment