READING POTPOURRI...
In Case of Stress: Reach Under Chair
Well, we're in. We pared down to essentials and it’s bittersweet. It’s refreshing, like a good, overdue haircut and unsettling, like waking up in your bed at someone else’s house.
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The Next Chapter
If you study the anatomy of a book, you’ll find its chapters consists largely of suspense, as in, what’s going to happen next? Writers craft words in such a way as to keep that book in your hand so you cannot put it down until the very last word.
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Grammar Shmammer
English connoisseurs may not have made it past the title of this post (since I made up a word and it looks misspelled and a host of other grammatically correct reasons), but for you who have made it to this part of the sentence, you know why you're here (and shame on you for saying 'shmammer.')
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Birthing Books
Conceiving is easy; a thought, an idea or a dream flirts with a writer’s mind and is irresistible. Most writers gladly admit that it’s much more fun to play around with plots and titles, scenes and scenarios than to birth a book.
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Walking on Water
A few years ago I pushed out from the shores of motherhood and enrolled my only son in a private Christian college. After much prayer, advice from counselors and applying for grants and scholarships, I was confident that the Lord was saying, “Go across to the other side.” I obeyed, believing that provision would be there all the way to his graduation.
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On and On...
In editing, I find many writers struggle to stop a sentence. Words pour out and spill on the page without the writer realizing there's a mess.
Self-editing is a healthy habit for anyone who uses words - most especially those whose communications give direction and instruction.
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Clear the Clunk!
Clunky sentences can trip up your reader. Reread and edit before you hit SEND on your e-mail message, or PUBLISH to your blog post, etc.
Read your post or message out loud, then bravely ask the tough questions:
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