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Books and writing are the core of my life. I edit books, write books, and teach writing. I love this work, and will be happy to provide any editorial or writing service you need.
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Writing Tips

January 8, 2019 By Elizabeth Leave a Comment

Mostly Agree with Hemingway

While cruising the internet recently, I found this: http://www.openculture.com/2013/02/seven_tips_from_ernest_hemingway_on_how_to_write_fiction.html My thanks to Open Culture for putting together this list and explanations of Hemingway’s advice. I mostly agree with Hemingway. But hey, put ten writers in a room and you’ll get twenty different ideas of the best way to write. So, where do I agree … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Writing Tips

February 10, 2018 By Elizabeth Leave a Comment

Adventures in Research

An oft-repeated piece of advice for writers is “Write what you know.” That advice, strictly followed, could result in boring books. There might be a few experiences in my life, maybe a couple of people I’ve known, that can be fictionalized and sensationalized enough to warrant being the catalyst for a novel. By and large, though, my imagination is sparked by things I don’t know. I often develop a … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Writing Tips

December 19, 2017 By Elizabeth Leave a Comment

Songs That Tell Stories

Back in the day, when I lived in New York in the 1980s, a new singer songwriter was getting a lot of attention—Suzanne Vega. I bought her first album as a cassette tape, and then had to buy it again because I wore out the tape. Eventually I bought the CD, which I found recently when I was reorganizing my music collection. I immediately played it, and aside from being transported back to that other … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Writing Tips

November 11, 2016 By Elizabeth 1 Comment

Three Productive Hours

A friend mentioned to me recently that the average person works only three productive hours a day. That figure astounded me, so I went looking for verification. I found some information here: http://www.inc.com/melanie-curtin/in-an-8-hour-day-the-average-worker-is-productive-for-this-many-hours.html Anyone who doesn’t work a regular office job will immediately note that this study looks at … [Read more...]

Filed Under: The Writing Process, Writing Tips

August 9, 2016 By Elizabeth Leave a Comment

To See Ourselves As Others See Us

Photo by Sandy Lawson

In his poem “To a Louse,” Robert Burns describes watching a louse crawl on a lady’s bonnet while in church. There is some humor in the image of the woman being unaware that she’s got vermin roaming around on her hat, and Burns ends the poem with (translated from Burns’s Scots): “And would some Power give us the gift/To see ourselves as others see us!” I thought of this the other day, when my … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Writing Tips

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