Author's Info Blog

I remember when I first started writing and I decided to take the plunge and expose myself on the internet. I would post articles and essays I had written on several different websites. My first love at that time was politics, so naturally, I decided to write about that topic,—it was my only area of expertise. Readers scorned my politics--as anyone would expect (at least those who disagreed); however, the worst tongue lashings I received were for my grammar, spelling, and general syntax. The biggest reason for this was that I never proof read anything before I pushed the “publish” button. Yes, there I was, an unfound literary master, one who was so good that my work should be published pure, as it was first written—blah, blah, blah—(sighing loudly) the ego of a writer can be quit ugly in its raw form. I have to give myself some credit for being...

I was with some friends last night, one of whom is a writer, and I was amazed at my friend’s ability to be descriptive in her writing. This reminded me of how important it is in creative writing to be able to “paint a picture” in words for the reader. She had written a persuasive essay about art in education. In the beginning paragraph she began her essay with a few sentences describing the memories of the art and music room in elementary school. She described the smell of Elmer’s glue and construction paper, the smell of colored clay, and the faint sounds of band instruments from the music room down the hall. The picture she painted with her words immediately took me back to those memories—I really enjoyed the trip her words took me on. This is the essence of writing, it`s the stuff readers love, it`s what makes a...