I love using beats in dialog. They provide variety and flexibility in your narrative. Thanks for advocating them.

Wonderful post, Ellen. Yes, we need joy in out writing. Otherwise it becomes a chore, and the smile goes. Like many other creatives, my writing feels like an ocean wave. Sometimes it's up, and the words flow. Other times, it's down, and the well of...

I'm not sure I agree with this post. For example, you say: "This proportion does not at all represent the demographics of our society." Perhaps not, but maybe it represents the demographics of published writers? In my city, Vancouver, Canada, the...

I feel like getting my books reviewed is an uphill battle all the way. I have stopped trying, which doesn't do my books any good. One of the complications, and the most serious one, arises from some authors' unethical behavior. You know what I mean;...

Great post. I've never thought about a threshold guardian in my own fiction, but now I will. It seems like serendipity. I'm struggling with a new story right now. I needed a new idea, and this is it. I think a threshold guardian in my new story will...

Great post. I never admitted publicly that I'm jealous of others, more successful writers, because I thought it was only me who is so petty, so small. Now I see I'm not the only one. Thanks for breaching the topic, Emily. I don't feel jealous of my...

On one hand, there is something offensive in the phrase "play to the masses", but unfortunately, that is what many writers do. And "the masses" as well as the powerful in publishing expect it. I noticed recently that most TV series are also crafted...

Interesting post. There is lots of bashing of Amazon online but not many try to see it objectively. I guess it's not as much what it does now that concerns people but what it could do if it achieves the world domination and doesn't have any...

Julie, I'll miss your posts. They were the only ones I read and commented on regularly here, on SheWrites. Alas, everything comes to an end. Wherever your writing life will take you next, good luck.

Great post, Brianne! I understand completely. I also worked in a different profession before becoming a full time writer. I was a computer programmer with a decent salary, but every hour I spent on that job felt like time wasted. Since I quit (and...