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Carol S. Mann
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Bits and Pieces
“He knew everyone had flaws. People fell from grace all the time. But some people fell further than others.” From “Ferrelli’s Fall” (Creek Songs).
Category Archives: fiction writing
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
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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
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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
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Finding the “just right” character name
I don’t have a magic potion for selecting a character name. Sometimes the name just arrives. Other times, it’s a hard search. I may have to give the character a temporary name for a while as I push ahead in … Continue reading
Posted in Authors, Books, Creativity, fiction writing, Inspiration, Looking for Inspiration, novel, Reading, short story, Writing
Tagged Andy Weir, finding character names, Harry Bosch, Mark Watney, Michael Connelly, Mitch Rapp, naming a character in a work of fiction, Order to Kill, The Martian, The Wrong Side of Goodbye, Vince Flynn
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Fiction Writing – Like Your Own Political Convention?
Fiction writing is like your own political convention. Pardon me? Really? Okay, hang with me on this. First, let’s look at what happens when you’re writing a short story. I attempted to analyze this conundrum with a story I just … Continue reading
Posted in fiction writing, Reading, short story, Writing
Tagged analogy, antagonist, fiction writing, pantser, planner, protagonist, reading, setting, short story, steps in writing the short story, writing, writing process
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A Public Reading of Another’s Work
Doing a public reading of another author’s work is an honor and a responsibility, and definitely feels different from doing a reading of your own stuff. With your own, you’re protective and vulnerable. Nervous. (See my post from 10/15/15 called “What … Continue reading
Written Beneath the Palms 
Thoughts while reading a rejection …
Acceptance and rejection letters come to writers in all forms. Of course, the acceptances are the most fun. You savor them, place them in a special file, even frame them. The rejections are often form notes, maybe with a small … Continue reading →