Today marks the 50th anniversary on the March on Washington. The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. dared to dream out loud, creating non-violent social change using the power of words. This was a pivotal moment in the Civil Rights Movement. As a country, America still has more work to do in achieving equality for all … Continue reading
In my short story class, we are reviewing flash fiction. What is flash fiction? A very short story – usually 1,000 words or less. Some say for a story to be micro fiction, one shouldn’t have to turn a page more than once. It has a beginning, middle, and end, like any other story. (It … Continue reading
Short Story Exercise – I am currently taking a short story class through the Lighthouse Writers Workshop, located in Denver, Colorado. Each week, we read one short story. Our instructor also provides written reference materials on the craft of writing a short story for us to review prior to class. In addition, we are required … Continue reading
2012 was a year of personal challenges and growth for me. Beginning toward the end of 2011 and into 2012, I experienced several family deaths. These losses included three uncles, two aunts, a young cousin, my mother, and my dog. I also transitioned through two job situations before finding a freelance writing gig. In all … Continue reading
When Santa Meets Jesus I love the Christmas holiday. As a small child, I was enraptured with the magic of Christmas. In my child’s mind, I had no issues with melding the fantasy of Santa Claus with the religious significance of the birthday of Jesus. To me, Christmas was a time of celebration. I was … Continue reading
A fun ‘adjectives’ game to motivate your muse. I have a tendency to rely on using the same adjectives within my writing. Adjectives, known as description words, can create excitement and add flavor to your writing. Overuse of the same words, though, is boring (as well as uninteresting, monotonous, dreary, dull, wearisome, and tedious) to … Continue reading
The blank page White, virginal, pure as snow Waiting for words to decorate its surface Sterile, unrelenting, intimidating The absence of words creates a void, an emptiness The writer thinks, ponders, reflects So many topics to explore Pick one, just one, and move forward Create an outline, a blueprint to progress to avoid off-topic ramblings … Continue reading
Tense over Verb Tenses? There are six verb tenses that are commonly used in the English language. Present – action occurring right now Past – action that has passed Future – action that has yet to take place in the future Present Perfect – action in past time in relation to present time Past Perfect – action … Continue reading
When I was in high school, my English teacher developed an interesting assignment relating to poetry and the concept of cause and effect. On the chalkboard – seriously, a chalkboard – she wrote the following: Put Let Put Let Put Let Put Let The only instruction we received was to write a poem; each sentence … Continue reading
Autumn: A Time of Purpose – Autumn is my favorite season. The vibrant colors of orange, yellow, rust, and gold permeate the landscape. The tantalizing smells of spices, like cinnamon, excite the olfactory nerves. There is a certain type of crispness to the air. As the hot, lazy days of summer slowly fade away, the … Continue reading
Straighten Up and Fly Write 
You must be logged in to post a comment.