The Writing Bug

The End

By Ronda Simmons

On a personal note:

The time has come for me to step down from blogging for the Writing Bug. It’s been an incredible ride, and I am grateful to have had this experience. JC Lynne is a talented, funny, and kind editor. (Don’t tell her I said that.) I have learned volumes from this gig, and my heart is warmed by the folks who have told me they enjoy my posts. But it’s time for fresh voices to be heard and for me to move on to other adventures. If you want to follow along, check out my website: www.rondasimmons.com.

The time has come, the Walrus said . . .

You Dislike Me. You Really Dislike Me!

By David E. Sharp

Writing is a long journey, agreed? From the first rubbish drafts of a manuscript to the complete overhauls, the helpful but sometimes painful critiques, the line edits, the additional line edits, the queries, the rejections, the acceptance, all the way to final publication, it’s a lot of work.

Exposition Kills

By Ronda Simmons

Writers spend months, even years, building the worlds where their stories take place. It’s so hard not to include every detail because let’s face it, we’re kind of proud of ourselves. We created a world!

Headshots. Not Only For Zombies.

By Brian Kaufman

In my novel, Dead Beyond the Fence, headshots were a pretty big deal. The ambulatory dead kept coming unless you wallop them above the shoulders. My protagonist used a tool formerly used to open crates or pry apart boards. This prompted one kind reviewer to comment, “Kaufman is the new king of the crowbar.”

The Words Matter

By Eleanor Shelton

On July 4, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was adopted by the Continental Congress announcing the colonies’ separation from Great Britain. The Declaration was actually adopted on July 2, and a clean copy signed by the congress on August 2, 1776, but let’s not quibble about a couple of days when the results were so momentous.

The past few years have caused me to look more closely at our origins, our history, and the words that our government’s founders used.

High Stakes

By David E. Sharp

Stakes are all about what’s on the line in your story. But the only thing really at stake is your reader’s attention. It’s part of our job to readers invested in our story. If we do it well, we might even keep them on the edge of their seat.

Inside the $25M of Action on High Stakes Poker Season 8 - PocketFives — Not Just for Poker.

Summertime Writing Productivity

By Ronda Simmons

It’s been decades since I was a student, yet when the weather warms up, and the grass is green, I have difficulty focusing. I’m always looking for a hammock somewhere to enjoy a good read.

My writing goals tend to suffer, and I would be willing to bet I’m not alone.

A Great Pitching Practice

By Brian Kaufman

The editor from a New York publisher just wanted to go to the bathroom. The author, attending a writer’s conference in Colorado Springs, blocked the way, promising to be brief. And he was straightforward, delivering his pitch, no windup. Having agreed to look at the first 30 pages of the novel, the publisher could take care of business without mishap.

Under The Provincial Sun

(Or I’m Bored. I think I’ll write a book.)

By Eleanor Shelton

My mother and father have been living in Turkey stuck after the pandemic shut everything down. A Covid vacation, if you will. During my last phone call with my mother, she said, “Well, I’ve read all the books I brought. I might as well write one.”