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Passive versus Active Voice
(Photo courtesy Wikipedia Commons) You've heard it a thousand times that "passive voice" is bad and "active voice" is good. In general, I also agree with that advice. For example, "I wrote this...
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Don’t Underestimate Your Readers
(Photo courtesy Wikipedia Commons) Don't write what is obvious. Eliminate all redundant words and phrases. Your readers will still get your drift without any over-explanations. EXAMPLE: The judge...
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A Writer’s Look at the “Normal” Crowd
There are two parts of my life. As writer, I spend most of my time in front of my computer writing, wearing grubby clothes and no makeup. Many days don’t see, or visit with, anyone outside of my...
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I’m Austin Bound
As I type this, I have several things going through my mind. It’s hard to concentrate or come up with a good topic for this week’s entry. My distraction stems from two sources. First, I’m getting ready...
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Do All Writers Write Books?
Do you hear that sound of smacking lips? That’s me trying to get the bad taste of Austin out of my mouth. That sounds really negative, doesn’t it? It wasn’t all bad. I’m just let down. In my previous...
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Don’t Let the Bastards Get You Down
A good friend of mine recently quit writing. She was a member of my critique group and I learned so much from her about the rules and techniques of the craft. I always looked forward to our meetings...
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Blogging and Social Media Reshaped My Work
If you were to have told me, about a year ago, that I would be using social media on a regular basis, I would have thought you were insane. To me, social media was nothing more than Facebook and...
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Why I Don’t Blog Much Anymore
While random people arriving here after a Google search don’t know me from Adam, I have a few friends and family members who note that they stopped reading CultureFeast.com because I no longer...
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A Little Encouragement to Keep Writing
I wrote my first book when I was 8 (Glasses for Shelly…really it should be a children’s bestseller, but my illustrations need some help), and from that moment on writing has held a special place in my...
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Be Kind. Subscribe.
At the end of August, Sean “Diddy” Combs posted the following rant on youtube.com. “As you know, I do have my own jet, but I’ve been having to fly back and forth to L.A. pursuing my acting career. Now,...
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Creativity vs Revenue
Writing fiction has been my life time goal. For a while that is all I worked on. Every night I would come home and spend hours working on my latest fiction pieces. That was my focus. That was all that...
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New Internet Talk Show Launches for Indie Authors
Earlier this year, Ozuna Publications, in conjunction with Artist First Radio Network, launched an Internet talk show designed specifically for the independently published author, also known as...
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Freelance Writing Struggles
Sometimes it feels like finding freelance writing gigs is a full time job on its own. I have these grand dreams of having enough gigs to make this writing my full time occupation. I know it will be a...
View ArticleBlogging is More Than Formulas
I’ve spent years reading, studying, and writing blogs to fit formulas in search of the golden ticket. And I’ve recently had my cathartic moment of truth when I realized my bloglife had to change. Money...
View ArticleWhy Writing Your Story Is So Important
I’ve already explained my reason for writing, journaling, and blogging my story. But something was missing. I didn’t hit the mark. I talked about some things I hope to accomplish. But I think there is...
View ArticleUrbis: Calling All Writers
There are two totally hip communities for writers which have sprung out of MySpace communities: Urbis and WritersCafe. I’m a member of both, but I spend more time on Urbis. Writer’sCafe has done what...
View Articlething
show me one just a glimpse that which all things stretch an infinite distance towards with hungry hopes to apprehend walk with me speak of things unnoticed when last we met under the tree glance...
View ArticleMy First Book is in the Works
It’s true… It’s in the works. I announced this to my friends and family a few months ago on MySpace, but I thought I’d go ahead and mention it here. I’ve given myself until January of next year to...
View Article5 Steps to Become a Copywriter
Karen, a virtual friend of mine whom I met on MySpace, asked me a while back for some suggestions on how to become a copywriter. I’ve put it off because to answer that question means to actually take...
View ArticleThe Internet, Anxiety, and Poor Writing Skills
When I began copywriting for websites, I started by searching through some how-to articles for pointers. I was aggravated and disappointed to find everyone recommending simple, direct, and...
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