Find your echoes. One of the qualities of good writing is the absence of echoes. An echo is a repeated word or phrase that the writer unwittingly uses. It can occur through several pages or throughout the entire book. It may be a pet word or crutch. But it echoes in the reader’s mind … More I won’t say it twice.
{ In celebration of National Punctuation Day } What a morning! Exclamation Mark barges into my office, red-faced and hyper, and starts stomping everything in sight! I tell it to go back where it came from, that I have little use for hysterics, and to not return, either alone or accompanied (particularly accompanied!!) unless summoned. … More pu-n,ctu?a—t“i”on . . . [p;an/d(e)mon’i:um.]!
‘Bae,’ ‘Foodie’ and ‘Enhanced Interrogation’ on List of ‘Banished’ Words for 2015 Thank you to SUZAN CLARKE – from the Jan. 1, 2015 broadcast ofGood Morning America ‘Bae,’ ‘Foodie’ and ‘Enhanced Interrogation’ on List of ‘Banished’ Words for 2015 (ABC News) Do you grimace when you hear some call a significant other “bae,” or … More Heard of banned books? How about banned words?
by Hazel Buys All of us at Richmond Children’s Writers wish you and yours a happy, prosperous and creative 2015! Lana, Hazel, Deb, Marianne, Stephanie, Brian, Troy, Dan and Chris
by Hazel Buys I came across the following from Ross and Kathryn Petras (Wretched Writing) over the holidays: “She threw her face over her apron.” By Charles Reade, The Cloister And The Hearth(1861). This was actually published, folks. So, here we are at New Year’s resolutions time, and I resolve not to commit bad writing. … More Bad Writing
by Hazel Buys “If speaking is silver, then listening is gold.” Turkish proverb Wow! Another great James River Writers conference! This year, I only participated in a Friday master class and a critique session on Sunday. Those two events were praise-worthy and if they were any indication, the whole conference was a winner. Upbeat energy … More Deconstructing the 2014 JRW Conference
By Hazel Buys There’s a list I check in the fall. It’s a bit like Santa’s run up to his big day. But my list goes like this: Register for James River Writer’s Conference check! Register for Pre-conference workshop check! Prepare & pack all workshop materials … More Countdown!
by Hazel BuysImagine! Comics were all but outlawed in the classroom after World War II, but today, they have clearly gone mainstream. Indeed, comics are explicitly recommended for use in the classroom if the content supports the state and national curriculum standards. Responding to this opportunity, Josh Elder has put together an anthology of comic-book style … More A Brave New World: Comic Books as School Textbook
by Hazel Buys For the past three to four years I have been working on mystery novels for middle grade. Recently our fearless leader at the RCW set out a challenge: write short stories for middle grade. Why do I find that scary? As I said, I write mystery NOVELS for middle grade. Uh, oh. … More Looking in on RCW
By Chris SorensenOriginally posted by Chris Sorensen at casorensenwrite.wordpress.com, 6/2/14 I had the privilege this past weekend to attend my first ever writing retreat. Four writers from my writing group – Richmond Children’s Writers– and three from another local group made our way an hour and a half south of Richmond to Lake Gaston. One … More Anatomy of a Writing Retreat
Richmond Children's Writers 