blogging, creative writing, Medium, writing23 Comments

Update on my website

August 2, 2021August 2, 2021 Writer of Words, etc

I have made some changes on my home page.

blogging, creative writing, writing26 Comments

Self-editing your own writing

June 16, 2021June 16, 2021 Writer of Words, etc

There are many ways to edit your written work:

Leave it and return to it at a later date with a fresh perspective
Use an online editing program (Grammarly, ProWritingAid, Hemingway Editor etc)
Ask friends, family, colleagues to give feedback
Hire an editor
Submit to contests or publications (sometimes, not often, an editor will respond with encouragement and feedback even if a piece isn’t accepted)
Read out loud to yourself

Did I miss anything?

blogging, creative writing, inspiration, internet, mental health, midlife, self-publishing38 Comments

Resisting negative self-talk

May 27, 2021May 27, 2021 Writer of Words, etc

I have a superb skill.

Let it be known that I am the Queen of Negative Self-Talk. 😳

creative writing, self-publishing, writing22 Comments

Indie-authors who write romance novels

April 17, 2021 Writer of Words, etc

Indie – short for independent; writers/authors who publish outside the mainstream

Do you read romance novels?

I’m not a fan, frankly, but I discovered some authors I liked. Meaning, I gave romance a chance at times, and although most of the books I read didn’t captivate my interest, I was pleasantly surprised that some of them did.

Do you know what I mean?

creative writing, inspiration, self-publishing, writing17 Comments

On writing aids, publishing and feedback

April 15, 2021 Writer of Words, etc

I have some news. I also have a lot of words in my head. Consider this your warning. 🙂

Let’s dive in:

a day in the life, blogging, creative writing, mental health, midlife, momlife, pandemic, parenting, writing33 Comments

Arbitrary thoughts

March 29, 2021March 29, 2021 Writer of Words, etc

Sometimes I get sucked into an argument I don’t want to have.

creative writing12 Comments

Short story: Heat beyond the fire station

March 18, 2021 Writer of Words, etc

Inspired by a show I watched recently, I cooked up a little romantic story. Enjoy. Feedback encouraged. See you in the comments.

Heat beyond the fire station

Samantha sat on the edge of the ottoman, facing the TV on the wall. Abby stood behind her, between the ottoman and couch, rubbing arnica lotion into her shoulders.

“This will soothe your tight muscles,” Abby said, kneading Samantha’s shoulders with concentration and completely oblivious to Chloe’s hard stare.

blogging, creative writing, first world problems, fun, internet, pandemic, writing29 Comments

Clandestine honesty

February 19, 2021 Writer of Words, etc

Those of you who have read here a while know that I’m a little bit…different.

Let’s go with that. 🙃

Here is something about me though that most of you probably will not dispute: I am nothing if not creative.

As I continue to write my stories, and edit my stories, and proofread my stories, and finish my stories, and begin new stories, I realized something.

I need some personal experience to supplement some of my creativity. And this is the reason why I started a bit of an unusual experiment a couple of weeks ago.

Really unusual.

blogging, creative writing, writing18 Comments

Word count announcement

February 5, 2021February 5, 2021 Writer of Words, etc

So…

22,671 words

from Prologue to Chapter 14

DONE. 💥🎉🎈🎊

blogging, creative writing, inspiration, writing13 Comments

How reading evokes improved writing (for me)

January 23, 2021January 23, 2021 Writer of Words, etc

Every so often I read a story by a writer or author which awakens something inside of me. Usually, it begins right with the first sentence, or paragraph. It’s almost like I can hear the voice of this person while reading the words.

One such story is this one: Waking up from the American Dream

blogging, creative writing, first world problems, fun, writing41 Comments

Let’s lighten up a little with some fun

January 12, 2021January 20, 2021 Writer of Words, etc

My doom and gloom posts lately are irking me so let’s change gears.

A number of humorous and droll topics have crossed my path in recent days. I thought I’d share. 😉

For instance:

If you don’t have a dog and you’re under curfew but you have a husband, putting him on a leash to walk him will earn you a $1500 fine in Quebec.

“Husbands don’t qualify as pets,” the authorities said. 😂

Perhaps it’s time to get a dog, then… ?

* * *

creative writing, inspiration, midlife, writing20 Comments

Memoir Mondays

January 2, 2021January 18, 2021 Writer of Words, etc

Writing a memoir takes a special kind of focus which, in my experience, is best exercised by a continuous sprint of uninterrupted time.

Here’s how that goes for me: It doesn’t.

blogging, creative writing, inspiration, writing19 Comments

Bloggers who write, and publish books

December 27, 2020 Writer of Words, etc

There are many published and indie authors following my blog. Did you know this? Let me list some of them for you here. Perhaps we can support one another by buying their books.

When I’m not writing or editing, or dealing with puppy shenanigans, I spend time reading books mentioned by my blog followers, readers and commenters. Allow me to share some of my interests: