Archive for category Darlene

Finding Your Community of Writers

People in the arts, in general, are drawn to each other. We’re odd. We see the world from a different perspective. We’re observers. We’re sponges. And we need each other. But what is this sense of community and how do you find it? The Writer’s Social Life One aspect of community is simply being around […]

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Building Blocks of Storytelling

You are a baby sitting in a high chair. Your parents, aunts, uncles, their friends are telling each other stories around the dinner table. Afterwards, you watch cartoons while the grownups chat some more. Later, your mom reads you a book (My fave: The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein). You are absorbing it all. Story […]

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Please Refer to the Diagram

I failed ruler in third grade. Though I couldn’t be trusted to take an accurate measurement, the notched wooden implement with the metal edge did serve a useful purpose in my young life: drawing precise lines and angles to diagram sentences. I’m pretty sure that was the same year I won the class spelling bee, […]

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You Stink!

What the editors wrote: Dear Susie WriterPerson: Thank you for submitting your short story, “Whatever” to Big Fancy Literary Review. We appreciate the opportunity to read it. Unfortunately, the piece is not for us. Good luck placing it elsewhere. Best Regards, The Editors What the writer reads: Dear Sucky WriterPerson: Thanks for submitting your crappy […]

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Our Support System (In Honor of Valentine’s Day)

In Outliers, author Malcolm Gladwell identifies many factors that contribute to an individual’s success.  One of them—a standout—is that no one succeeds alone; meaning, everyone has someone who helps him or her out along the way. For writers this is perhaps crucial.  We need all kinds of help, from the peers who offer feedback to […]

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This Little Writer went to Market

I’m always on the lookout for new markets for my short stories. Problem is sometimes I get so engrossed in researching literary journals, I don’t write! The good thing about short fiction and flash fiction is that no matter what your genre, from literary fiction to science fiction and every combination in between, there are […]

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The Next Big Thing! (Darlene)

Last week Linda was tagged as part of a chain of authors called THE NEXT BIG THING. Now, all of us at 5Writers are joining the chain, providing some insight into our current projects—in my case a project I’d set aside and intend to restart. Once we’re done, we are passing on some info about […]

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Goooooooooooal!

Let’s assume the Mayans got it wrong and we will see the dawn of a new year. That’s right, no excuses for not looking ahead. It’s time to assess the past year, see what we’ve accomplished and set some goals for the coming year. I feel you cringing already. Maybe because I’m cringing—and writhing! Yes, […]

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A Conversation about Dialogue

I was in a two-session writing from prompts workshop recently and one participant mentioned that he was scared of writing dialogue. He didn’t like it and thought he wasn’t good at it. Turns out he wasn’t as awful as he thought and with some tips and encouragement, he began to feel more confident, even two […]

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Enough! I’m Done! It’s Over!

It’s hard for me to read my published stories. Even when they’re committed to print, I revise and edit as I read. It drives me nuts. Eventually, I get over it. So when is a creative work ready to leave the safety of your documents folder? As many of my Five Writers colleagues have pointed […]

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