Ok, we’re almost to the end of January and this greeting is a bit late. But I’ve been away from this blog for a while and it is a new year. I’ll blame COVID even though my writing lacuna has been much longer than that.

And, like the snow and icicles hanging from the roof of my house, I’m ready to unfreeze and spill over.

I’ve actually posted on another blog (or two) in the intervening time, but I’m ready to come back to this one. And to figure out how to combine it with a book review blog I’ve been semi-active on. (That could take a bit of time.)

In the interim, I have managed to draft a few novels. My goal is to revise and, eventually, get them published.

Some of the things — other than my day job — that I’ve been working on is improving my drafts by attending some great writing seminars. The free and inexpensive ones online since COVID have been great. And the ones I made it to PC (Pre-COVID) were both informative and fun. I’ve actually met some of my favorite writers at them.

But I plan to restart this blog as a way of sharing a bit of what I’ve been reading (hence the yet-to-be-accomplished merger with my book review blog) and what I’ve been learning.

I won’t promise daily posts. This started as a daily writing tip blog years ago. But I will make sure to get something up at least every couple of weeks. I need to have a place to record notes.

I hope you may learn something along with me.

A co-worker periodically rails against the bad writing she she sees in documents that cross her desk. Then we commiserate about failings in writing education. Here’s an article from the New York Times about efforts to improve writing education.

Why Kids Can’t Write https://nyti.ms/2hn9ibq

Yup, it’s a new year. This post is inspiring me. I hope it does the same for you.

https://hbr.org/2016/12/stop-setting-goals-you-dont-actually-care-about

It’s been a while since I’ve posted anything on my  blog. It’s been an incredibly busy time.

But I need to finish a project and I’m using the boost of January: Our Writing Month to do it. Feel free to join me. It’s a low-profile writing marathon for those of us who don’t have time for extra projects (like the venerable NaNoWriMo) during the holidays.

 

 

Stories without research can be pretty flat. Here are some useful sources and a few tips for using them. I’ve used several of them and they’re great.

Research Tools Every Writer Needs – Aerogramme Writers’ Studio.
http://www.aerogrammestudio.com/2014/08/26/research-tools-every-writer-needs/#more-9607