By Darlene L. Turner @darlenelturner Authors begin a new story by creating and building their characters—the hero, heroine, and villain, but shouldn’t we also consider the setting as a character? How can we do this effectively? Here’s what I’ve learned on this subject. Setting is where your story resides. Could be…

by Lynn Blackburn @LYNNHBLACKBURN I’m a firm believer that you can learn lessons about your writing life anywhere—as long as you’re paying attention. Case in point? I got the idea for this blog post from taking my oldest to three different orthodontists. Stay with me. My daughter has disabilities and nothing—nothing—is…

By W. Terry Whalin @terrywhalin Every summer, Peru, Indiana has a local circus to celebrate the history of the town. Students train all year for these performances. That summer one student walked the high wire on stilts. Each time the crowd gasp because he performed without a safety net. As an…

By Aaron Gansky @ADGansky Often, as writers, we tend to take the path of least resistance. We’ll throw in a tired, worn-out cliché because it’s easier than actually thinking of an original description. The result is a lot of the same stories with the same characters and the same “plot-twists.”…

By Theresa Parker Pierce @rowanhistory Isaiah 28:10 “For precept must be upon precept; line upon line; here a little, and there a little:” KJV As a former teacher I have written most of my life but in retirement, I decided to pursue it further. Much wisdom has been departed to…

By Cherrilynn Bisbano @bisbanowrites I desire to submit articles to magazines. I almost didn’t when I read the term, “Kill Fee.” Is that legal?  Other terms boggled my mind. What is a nut graf anyway? Is sounds like a surgical term. I need to learn magazine article jargon before I…