Talking Stick is Open for Submissions!
The Jackpine Writers’ Bloc of Northern Minnesota has just opened Talking Stick Volume 22 for submissions. They are giving a $300 prize for first place and a $100 prize for second place in the categories of Poetry, Fiction and Creative Nonfiction. It must be unpublished work. Fiction submissions must be less than 1500 words and creative nonfiction must be under 1,000 words. I always tell my students to double space submissions, but their call-out requires single spacing. Follow the directions and be bold with your submissions!! If your piece is chosen, your work will be showcased among some great Minnesota writers. You might even win the big prize. Here’s the link: http://www.jackpinewriters.com/ts22/ Best of luck to everyone! Remember to submit by...
Read MoreThe #1 Way to Build Tension & Writing Boot Camp Link
What’s the #1 way to build tension in a scene? Writers often move too quickly. Build tension in your written scene by slowing down the action. Let the scene unfold moment by moment. In real time the scene may have happened quickly–perhaps in seconds. But in a written scene, we need to linger on the details. Give some hint as to what the character is thinking as it happens. Put everything into slow motion and describe the sun glinting off the water. The grit of sand on skin. Whatever the details of your story may be, let them unfold slowly. Allow your reader to feel the importance of the moment. P.S. As promised, here is the link to the Creative Writing Boot Camp in Brainerd, MN, on January 12, 2013. My sister Candace Simar and I will co-teach this...
Read MoreThe Biggest Mistake Writers Make in Openings
What’s the biggest mistake I find writers make in their opening paragraphs? They begin in the wrong place. Too long of an on-ramp. Throat clearing. There are lots of names for it, but it all boils down to this—find an interesting sentence to begin your work! Draw the reader in immediately. Don’t bore them before they get started. I’m not saying you don’t have to write that long on-ramp, I’m just saying it doesn’t have a place in your edited work. Read the story aloud and zero in on where it gets interesting. That’s your beginning. I have lots of other tips on how to write an effective beginning. I’ll be talking about this subject at the Pine City Public Library on Saturday, November 3rd from 10 a.m. – 1...
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