This past week I had an in-depth discussion with my friend and author Maurice Broaddus. Maurice is an interesting writer because he’s up front about his faith and infuses it into his writing. I, on the other hand, am pretty private when it comes to my beliefs; they aren’t part of my writer’s platform. Even […]
Category: Blog
Musings and Opinions
Have a Nice Internet Day! Wed 10-27-2010
From kids committing suicide to nasty political ads and general snarkiness, the internet can be pretty negative some days. That’s why, I’m calling for a moratorium on nastiness for one day. I don’t care if you’re always nice to people online or not. This idea isn’t just about “you.” After all, every writer knows that […]
The One Thing That Cripples Writers Is…
…fear. Over the years, I’ve talked to many people to hear their stories and find out what makes them tick. The people closest to me know that, in many ways, I’m the type of writer that studies human nature. The one thing that most writers have in common is this: fear. “I’m not good enough […]
Author Paul Jessup Interviewed Me
Just wanted to drop by and mention that author Paul Jessup, who is celebrating the release of an illustrated journal called WEREWOLVES!, interviewed me for his website. He’s been very supportive of my e-book THE QUEEN OF CROWS and has had nice things to say about it. Here’s one of the questions he asked me: […]
Semantics, Word Choice and Personality
Lately, I’ve been obsessing about semantics, how we choose our words, and what effect a personality type has on both. Take self-promotion just as an example. To tell an introvert to get out there and “Sell yourself!” might make someone feel uncomfortable. Turn that around for a second and say something like, “Help someone know more about you.” Same thing. Different words.
No, this idea isn’t new. It’s a different take on the old adage, “Doesn’t matter what you say, just how you say it.” There’s two sides to the application of this powerful idea. There’s the writing side, where we have to make decisions about the words we use. There’s also the semantic side, where we may (or may not) respond to someone else’s words.