by Jennifer Paros
January 2017
When my oldest son was eleven and about to graduate from elementary school, he broke out in hives that were so large and pervasive they covered his back. I told him hives are sometimes stress-related and can go away on their own. And so they did. But soon, a pattern emerged: when he was home, the hives appeared; when he was at school they faded.
Read Moreby Michael Candelario
January 2017
I am sitting here in front of a framed painting of a map from my first fantasy book, writing an article while my wife cleans the house and balances the checkbook and deals with the stress of having a freelance writer for a husband. Chaos, these days, is a constant factor in our lives.
Read Moreby Cherie Tucker
December 2016
As you prepare to write all the holiday cards and gift tags, here are a couple things to remember.
Read Moreby Jennifer Paros
December 2016
Years ago, I discovered my enthusiasm for photography, and took several classes in it while at art school. What I liked most about taking pictures was how quickly the process clarified what interested me, including which angles and approaches created work that was resonant or was not.
Read Moreby Kendra Lavec
December 2016
It’s natural, I believe, to versions of ourselves that others would never see.
That’s the catch, is it not? To not let others see our grand ideas of what we wish to be. These grand heroes, whether they just be more confident, likeable versions of ourselves, or a knight in shining armour, saving the meek from the dastardly.
Read Moreby Cherie Tucker
November 2016
We’ve looked at the trick of having “FANBOYS” stand for for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so to help you remember the comma rule; however, there is a tendency to err on the wrong side. When your sentence consists of two parts that could be separated into two stand-alone sentences,
Read Moreby Terry Persun
November 2016
Like most writers, I started out being an avid reader: from the time my parents read children’s books to me, to the first short stories my brother introduced me to, to the first novels I checked out of our school library. Even as a child, my interests were broad, and I would read everything from mysteries to science fiction and science to biographies.
Read Moreby Jennifer Paros
November 2016
When my youngest son was four, he made up a song that went, You have to get along/But you gotta have free, which spoke to his desire to join with others without hampering his individuality. That’s a jingle that has continued to suit him and his life throughout his seventeen years.
Read Moreby Cherie Tucker
October 2016
Many people say that you shouldn’t end a sentence with a preposition, but that’s true only when that proposition is redundant, as in the dreadful "Where’s it at?" ("Where" tells you that location is what you need, so adding "at," a second location word, is unnecessary.) We end many sentences with prepositions, especially in speaking. For example, "What’s this for?" But do people really know what a preposition is?
Read Moreby Noelle Sterne
October 2016
If you believe you must wait to write until the right mood strikes, you’ll never get much done. Many writers nevertheless believe in this myth, supporting it with impressive rationales. Some blame external circumstances:
“I can only write in the cold weather—it’s so invigorating!”
“I can only write in the spring. The warm breeze caresses my forehead and fingers, and I melt into the keyboard.”
by Jennifer Paros
October 2016
My younger son has often dealt in worst-case scenarios. I haven’t kept track of the times he’s concluded a family member or friend was dead because the person was late returning from an errand or appointment – but there have been many. Once, we were all enjoying a fire (in the fireplace) at Christmas and he said, “What if a flame leaps out and burns the house down?” When he was small, I addressed his concerns in a practical fashion – pointing out the fireplace had a screen, or that someone being delayed didn’t mean he/she was no more.
Read Moreby Cherie Tucker
September 2016
I’ve noticed frequently that people aren’t distinguishing between two-word expressions and single words that are said the same. Check these to make sure you aren’t guilty of choosing the wrong one in your writing.
Read Moreby Jennifer Paros
September 2016
My husband and I were in an ongoing argument-like debate. After years of using a cell phone with questionable intelligence, he wanted something smarter – an iPhone. I agreed that his phone needed updating; compared to what the other kids were playing with, the phone seemed homemade. My problem wasn’t that I didn’t want him to have a shiny, new, fun thing. My problem was my relationship to my IFC.
Read Moreby Misty Browne
September 2016
I remember the day I graduated from nursing school vividly: my family was beaming with pride. I felt such joy, realizing that I was finally going to contribute to this world. I was going to be someone critical.
Read Moreby Jennifer Paros
August 2016
When I was a little girl, I often felt negative and sometimes feared being seen as bad-tempered. My astrological sign, Cancer, has the crab as its symbol and I hated that it was a crab; I didn’t want to be a crab. I wanted to be something great and beautiful and seemingly uncomplaining – like a zebra.
Read Moreby Louise Marley
August 2016
By the time I was five years old, I knew I wanted to be a singer. I didn’t know any singers, or indeed, any professional musicians. I didn’t have any idea how a person became a singer. I had no clue how to start, but the impulse refused to subside. When it was time for college, I wanted to study voice performance. I conferred with my wise mother.
Read Moreby Cherie Tucker
August 2016
Children often mistake words they hear in songs. They think it’s “Round John Virgin” or “sleep in heavenly peas.” These mistakes can be charming, but many times when people are speaking, they shorten or garble or mispronounce words, so their listeners can hear things wrong, as well. One such mangled expression that happens frequently is “gonna.”
Read Moreby Noelle Sterne
July 2016
My writing buddy’s face turned dark pink as she shouted over her latté. “No one can write anything worthwhile without a private place!” She thrust her face into mine. “It’s gotta be your own!”
“Oh, please!” I replied. “All you need is the desire, will, and your stone tablet and a sharp tool. It doesn’t matter where you write!”
Read Moreby Jennifer Paros
July 2016
I’m not certain when I first heard the phrase, “You’re not the boss of me!” It might have been while working at a daycare years ago. Maybe I heard it from the determined 4 year old Ella who greeted me, my first day there, wearing a long strand of beads and an air of leadership. Or maybe it came later from my own children.
Read Moreby Jennifer Paros
July 2016
When our oldest son was in elementary school, the principal told me he was a “square peg” struggling in, apparently, a round hole of an environment. Her suggestion: find him a square hole. I knew my son wasn’t always the most cooperative or conforming, but I was also not convinced her perception was fully accurate or useful.
Read More