blogger: Cynthia Ruchti
Are these THE Top Ten ways to declutter your writer brain? More accurately, they are a few of the ways. But that would have made the title too long and not great for search engine optimization. (SEO–We …
All the Good Worry Accomplishes
blogger: Cynthia Ruchti
Image courtesy of Pixabay
Let’s face it. Authors are not immune to worry. It’s natural. Except for the completely confident or the delusional, writers worry that their words won’t matter, that no publisher will want them, that …
Promised Yourself Last Summer
We’re on the cusp of another summer. In parts of our country, that means the grills are being uncovered after a long winter’s hiatus. In other parts, the grills are being pulled back under the pergola for a little …
When the Story Ends Too Soon
blogger: Cynthia Ruchti
“My story’s finished, but it’s way too short for its category. What do I do now?”
Some writers have never experienced that particular brand of panic. They might well know the tremors that come from needing to …
The Writing Food Truck Race
blogger: Cynthia Ruchti
You’re in a writing food truck race. Were you aware of that already? If you are, how’s it going? Sales good? Lines of customers waiting for your burgers? Media attention? Images of your food truck and burgers …
The Value of Watching Bad Movies
blogger: Cynthia Ruchti
Hunkered down before it was mandated–due to a virus without a fancy, recognizable name–I’ve been watching a lot of free movies online. Some of them were poorly written, directed, or acted, but I kept watching. On purpose. …
Six Unexpected Essentials Every Writer Needs
blogger: Cynthia Ruchti
What are six unexpected essentials every writer needs?
Keyboard Protector
Let’s start with an unessential but wildly helpful tool. The serious writer may notice that one of the bits of fallout from working hard at the craft …
Turning Knee-Jerks into Profitable Exercise
blogger: Cynthia Ruchti
Who says writers don’t exercise enough? It’s not uncommon to find a writer doing knee-jerks.
Agent hasn’t responded to writer’s query. It’s been two months. Knee-jerks:
- I don’t matter enough to that agent.
- I must not matter
Great Expectations for Writers
blogger: Cynthia Ruchti
A simple two-word phrase–great expectations–has maintained a steadfast and recognizable connection to one literary work first published 160 years ago. What else could come to mind when we hear those two words together but Charles’ Dickens’s highly …
An Agent’s Favorite Words
Blogger: Cynthia Ruchti
An agent’s favorite words?
A joke used to make its way through the family circle whenever someone took out a checkbook (remember those?) to repay another family member for borrowed money or for his/her portion of a …