Speaking of mystery writers--here are the Edgar Award winners as voted by the Mystery Writers of America


WOW!!! You must check out the new Writing Center Home Page. Details for Leave the Lights On! Ghost Story Contest


are located there. As well as October's Writing Exercise which we'll all be "handing in" here on the writing board, a new article (The Ten Commandments of Fiction) and the October calendar. You'll find that the new design is easy to use and informative. So just click on the Writing Center link at the top of this page and join the fun! Jessica


Avoid these common fiction writing mistakes:


1. Describing characters instead of showing him or her through the action and dialogue.

2. Not starting the story with a truly compelling hook that causes the reader to question, worry, and follow the main character into the story.

3. Directly exposing the thoughts of non-viewpoint characters. Save inner thoughts for the main characters.

4. Summarizing dialogue instead of quoting it directly.

5. Having your characters speak monologues instead of believable exchanges.


REMINDER: Constance Hale, author of Sin and Syntax and Wired Style will be our writing class guest on October 6 n/t



Is this the right board to ask this?


I might possibly be doing some "business" type newsletters in a few months, for a company, and I'd like to get a head start by doing up a few short articles..at least rough copies or outlines, using my old 5-paragraph "magic formula".

Is it necessary to "think up" the ideas myself, and have it all the information original, or is it OK to draw on some expert resources for information, ideas and inspiration? The articles will basically be on subjects I know very little about, so I'll have to be doing some research.


I Have No Clue


I'm just now toying with the idea of writing. I've done some newspaper writing, PR writing, etc...I've only been on the web five times or so. Consider me a novice. I'm interested in the writing class. What do I do?


Halloween essay contest


Did I misunderstand? I thought, last week, that Jessica said she would post the details of the Halloween essay contest in the next week. The "next week" has now passed and I didn't see the details. Am I looking in the wrong place? Where should I go?


Hello fellow writers!


For the past several weeks I've seen the advertisement on ivillage.com but tonight is the first night I've had the time to check into it and I must admit I'm very pleased with what I've seen thus far. I had no idea your site offered this much variety.

As a published author of magazines and newspapers I'm always excited about meeting other writers. And of course books are also a very favorite of mine. I just don't seem to have enough time to read all the ones I'd like.


Aspiring Biographer to bcjessica


Jessica,

Thank you for your offer of help. Sorry it took so long to get back to you, but I was trying to figure out some way to transfer the earlier discussion I started to the new board, but couldn't. Guess it can't be done.

My questions were about needing ideas on how to research for a biography. Books, websites, writers groups --- anything that would help me get started on this project.


I am in school to be a journalist


I take journalism 102 and I want to be a journalist for the Gazette, New York Times, or the Business Journal. I am already editing and writing for a newspaper called the "Homeschool Gazette."

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