by Bethany Jett, @BetJett I host a weekly online show called Writers Chat and yesterday's topic was how to create setting in our stories. The tips were so great I had to share with our Blue Ridge community. Creating great scenes is not only for fiction writers. Whether you're writing…

By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills A writer focuses on every skill connected to this wonderful world of publishing. This means stepping into the waters of social media to build community and meet reader needs. Sometimes writers approach building an online platform with groans, excuses, and do-I-have-to's? Mistakes happen and disappointment sets…

by Bethany Jett, @BetJett I'm obsessed with reading lately. It comes in spurts and dry spells, but this last week especially, I've inhaled one after another. As Stephen King says, to be a good writer, you have to do two things: read a lot and write a lot. Ergo, reading…

by Edie Melson @EdieMelson I remember the first time I ventured onto twitter. It’s an intimidating site, full of unfamiliar terms and strange rules. Beyond that, the more people I followed, the more confusing the newsfeed became. To my untrained eye, all those 140 character bursts were just disjointed and…

by Alycia W. Morales     @AlyciaMorales When we think about writing, puppies aren't necessarily the first things that come to mind. Unless they're the characters in a children's book. Or their name is Marley. But really... [tweet_box design="default" float="none" inject="#BRMCWC #amwriting"]How is writing like whelping puppies?[/tweet_box] Anticipation Cinnamon, my dog, was…

by Bethany Jett, @BetJett There is a lot of excellent writing advice. Honestly, I could spend hours curled up on the couch scrolling through agents’ blogs, websites on writing tips, and scanning Pinterest pins on the subject. But there are two “writing” tips that have the ability to either help you excel…