Alliteration
Almost all of us have been admonished to avoid alliteration at all costs. This apocryphal aphorism has generated an agony of angst among aspiring authors. Phew! Get out the thesaurus!…
Five Senses
People experience the world through all the senses, but most of us are primarily focussed on one or two, such as sight and perhaps sound, or tactile sensations and taste. …
Bad Boys
Romances are not the only tales in which the characters are less than perfect. Indeed, if they were perfect, there would be no story. But the bad boy who falls…
Censorship
In my not-so-humble opinion, political correctness is a scam. It was designed for intimidation and control and is a common tactic used by tyrannical regimes past to present and all…
Books for Children and Young Adults
The variety of books aimed at children and young adults is astounding: Pop-up picture books, cardboard and cloth and plastic books, and puzzle-piece books for wee ones. Stories designated for…
Genres
Literary Fiction, Humour, Drama, Adventure, Fantasy, Science Fantasy, Science Fiction, Romance, Erotica, Mystery, Thriller, Horror, Paranormal...the list of genres is large and growing. Niche genres have evolved to include Steampunk…
Audiobooks
There is some controversy over audiobooks. Certainly, those who are visually impaired can benefit from audiobooks. But what of the rest of us? A friend of mine actually became an…
More Editing
I freely admit that I could wish that I had more education and experience in life. Both would make writing and editing easier. Turns of phrase, vocabulary, and correct literary…
Old and New
Some people limit themselves to up-to-the-minute products, even going as far as to camp out in a store parking lot in hope of being among the very first to buy…
What readers want
The advertising industry created the slogan "Give me something new!" But is that truly what people want? There is another maxim that crosses many industries: "Give them what they expect."…