Category: Writing Tips

• Writing Rules – Simple and True

  By Patricia Zick @PCZick When I taught high school English, I always had at least one student – usually a female – who concentrated more on her presentation than the substance of her work. When the term paper was due, I’d receive a beautiful folder with lots of clip art designs on the cover. I…

  P. C. Zick

  February 28, 2013

  Ramblings of a Writer, Style and Grace, Writing Tips

  authors, blog, English, fiction, grammar, J.D. Salinger, novel, The Catcher in the Rye, traditional publishing, writers, writing

• Recommended Books for Authors

  By Patricia Zick @PCZick The world of writing and publishing entered a revolution in the past decade. I joined a little late after a discouraging six or seven years attempting to follow the traditional route. Discouraged, disillusioned, and frustrated, I dropped out for a few years. I woke up a little more than a year…

  P. C. Zick

  February 14, 2013

  Writing Tips

  amazon.com, authors, blog, e-book, fiction, Kindle, Live from the Road, novel, Rachelle Gardner, self-publishing, traditional publishing, Trails in the Sand

• Organization for the Indie Author

  By Patricia Zick @PCZick I’ve been working as an Indie Author for almost a year. At times, it feels as if I’m floating, and sometimes drowning, in an excess of advice, information, and time-consuming minutiae. As a fairly organized person who can multitask, I haven’t felt comfortable, so I decided to organize the tasks I…

  P. C. Zick

  February 7, 2013

  Writing Tips

  amazon.com, authors, blog, book reviews, BP, Deepwater Horizon oil spill, e-book, fiction, novels, organization, publishing, Trails in the Sand, websites, writers

• Time to Start Another Novel

  By Patricia Zick @PCZick It’s time to start another book now that Trails in the Sand is finished. Finding the time to begin the new work is nearly impossible because my days are taken up with promoting the novel, submitting it to different websites, and finding reviewers for the book. I’m not really starting a…

  P. C. Zick

  January 24, 2013

  Ramblings of a Writer, Writing Tips

  authors, characters, dialogue, e-book, fiction, Live from the Road, novel, point of view, reviews, story, Trails in the Sand

• Editing – Smoothing the Cement

  By Patricia Zick @PCZick This past week, I finished the edits on my third or fourth draft of my new novel Trails in the Sand. I sent it off to my editor, Kathleen Heady, so she can weave her magic on the manuscript. When she returns it, I’ll go through her suggestions and then ready…

  P. C. Zick

  November 15, 2012

  Ramblings of a Writer, Writing Ideas, Writing Tips

  authors, blog, characters, editing, editors, fiction, final draft, first draft, novel, point of view, publishing, rough draft, writers, writing

• Here’s How I Write

  By Patricia Zick @PCZick Shannon A. Thompson, a fellow blogger, gave me the idea for this post. I liked learning about Shannon’s methods and choices during her writing day so I thought some of you might find my process interesting. I’m hoping others of you will write a post and answer these questions as well.…

  P. C. Zick

  November 2, 2012

  Ramblings of a Writer, Writing Ideas, Writing Tips

  authors, blog, bloggers, editing, fiction, first draft, novel, revising, writers, writing

• Riding the Roller Coaster

  By Patricia Zick @PCZick Seven months ago, I began a perilous journey when I decided to enter the revolution. I’ve earned my living as a writer for more than a decade. Now I’m working longer hours, opening myself to the whole world, and earning just enough to pay my overhead. In these seven months, I’ve…

  P. C. Zick

  October 10, 2012

  Ramblings of a Writer, Style and Grace, Writing Tips

  amazon.com, authors, e-book, e-books, Facebook, Kindle, Live from the Road, novel, reviewers, reviews, twitter, writers

• To Which or To That. . .

  By Patricia Zick @PCZick that is the question, which I pose today. It’s always good to review the rules of grammar. Here’s an excellent article from Writer’s Digest on the vagaries of the not so interchangeable which and that. I probably need to read it a couple of times, even though I thought I knew…

  P. C. Zick

  August 17, 2012

  Ramblings of a Writer, Writing Tips

  grammar, writers, Writers Digest, writing

• Point of View

  “I almost always urge people to write in the first person. . .Writing is an act of ego and you might as well admit it.” William Zinsser Point of view is crucial in a novel. One of the quickest ways to turn me from a book is immature point of view. I often experiment  with…

  P. C. Zick

  August 13, 2012

  Ramblings of a Writer, Style and Grace, Writing Ideas, Writing Tips

  A Visit from the Goon Squad, Deepwater Horizon oil spill, environment, fiction, first person, Jennifer Egan, novel, point of view, third person, tomatoes, writers

• Set your writing critics free

  Releasing the Writing Critic “Art is a jealous mistress.” Ralph Waldo Emerson  By P. C. Zick @PCZick Somewhere along the way during our writing life, most of us have encountered others who expressed certain opinions about our writing. Unfortunately these expressions make their way into our psyche causing us to become our own worst critics.…

  P. C. Zick

  August 10, 2012

  Ramblings of a Writer, Writing Ideas, Writing Tips

  critics, writers, writing, writing critic, writing workshop