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Carol S. Mann
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Bits and Pieces
“Think in blue, in green, in starlight, in song, in a blessing, in beauty, in gratitude.”
The World That We Knew by Alice Hoffman
Category Archives: fiction writing
Valet Wisdom & Writing
The other day while waiting for my car to be retrieved by a valet, another valet who was waiting for new arrivals engaged me in conversation. It was one of those quick philosophical talks about life, its whimsies, its tricks, … Continue reading
Posted in blogging, fiction writing, Finding Ideas: The Creative Process, Inspiration, Looking for Inspiration, personal essay, Reading, short story, Writing
Tagged Atropos, Carl Sandburg, chance, Circumstance, Clotho, Destiny, fate, Greek Mythology, Lachesis, life philosophy, luck, philosophy, The Three Fates, Thread of Life, Valet parking, What controls our fate?, What if ...
7 Comments
Writers’ Workshops to the Rescue
I’m continually looking for writing tips, techniques, and approaches. I’m forever searching for ways to become a better writer and be inspired. Sound familiar? As a result, I attend conferences and workshops, read articles and books on writing, listen to speakers, … Continue reading
Posted in Authors, Creativity, fiction writing, Finding Ideas: The Creative Process, Inspiration, Looking for Inspiration, novel, Reading, short story, Writing
Tagged Author Elizabeth Sims, Developing a fictional character, Developing a fictional plot, editing your writing, perfectionism, Scene development in fiction, sequence in fiction writing, The short story, The Value of Writers' Workshops, Writer's Digest Magazine, You've Got A Book In You by Elizabeth Sims
4 Comments
Lucky Seven and Writers
I’d never seen the word shichifukujin until I read author Dan Brown’s thriller Digital Fortress. Granted, there are many words I haven’t seen or read, but this one intrigued me. Brown simply revealed the shichifukujin were the seven deities of … Continue reading
Posted in Authors, Creativity, fiction writing, Inspiration, novel, Reading, short story, Writing
Tagged Author Dan Brown, creating characters, Digital Fortress by Dan Brown, good luck, Hope, luck, rainbows, Seven Deities of Good Luck, shichifukujin, Snow White, Story and plot, The Seven Dwarfs, writing
4 Comments
When Your Story Setting Chooses You
You may have visited or lived in a place you knew would become a setting for a story you had yet to write. A place that spoke to you in not only a visceral, emotional way, but also in an … Continue reading
Posted in Authors, blogging, Books, Creativity, fiction writing, Finding Ideas: The Creative Process, Inspiration, Looking for Inspiration, Reading, short story, Writing
Tagged Choosing a story setting for your writing, Maid of the Mist, Niagara Falls, short story, story setting, story setting influencing a character, The American Falls, The Canadian Falls, The Horseshoe Falls, writing the short story
9 Comments
Rewriting and Revising a Story …
My mother was a fabulous seamstress. She made all of her own clothes, all my sister’s clothes, and all of mine. Dresses, blouses, skirts, coats, jackets, hats – nothing was out of her reach. In fact, I didn’t have a … Continue reading
Giving Input to Another Writer
Being in a critique group is one way to add dimension to your writing process. As a participant, you receive or give critiques on ways to improve the story under discussion. But giving input in a positive, productive way is … Continue reading
A Writers’ Critique Group at Last
I pulled into the parking lot of the local library a little before 10 a.m., feeling a bit excited. After many years, a writers’ critique group was forming in my locale under the auspices of the Palm Springs Writers Guild … Continue reading
Posted in Authors, Books, Creativity, fiction writing, Inspiration, memoir, novel, personal essay, Reading, short story, Writing
Tagged Being in a writers' group, Developing Writing Craft, La Quinta Library, novel, Palm Springs Writers Guild, personal essay, Purpose of a critique group, short story, Writers and a Critique Group, Writers' Camaraderie, Writing Critique Group
4 Comments
A Writer’s Search for Story Titles
Titles lead unpredictable lives. A lucky writer may have a great title even before the story is begun. Often, a title arrives while the story is underway. On the other hand, it might not appear until after the last sentence … Continue reading
Posted in Books, Creativity, fiction writing, Finding Ideas: The Creative Process, Inspiration, Looking for Inspiration, Reading, short story, Writing
Tagged finding ideas for story titles, finding titles for your fiction, putting together a short story collection, short story collection, the title search in fiction writing, Themes, writing a short story collection
6 Comments
Building a Short Story Collection – The Saga Continues
I fell in love with short stories in my eighth grade English class when Mr. Patti read Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Gold Bug” and “The Masque of the Red Death” to us. I liked the emotions I experienced, the language … Continue reading
Posted in fiction writing, Reading, short story, Writing
Tagged compiling the short story collection, composing a book title, dedication in a book, Elizabeth Strout, foreword in a book, Getting Lucky by Thomas Kennedy, Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout, table of contents, the short story collection, Thomas Kennedy
4 Comments
Written Beneath the Palms 