P.C. ZICK

By Patricia Zick @PCZick I finished the second draft of my new novel Trails in the Sand before leaving on a trip to Denver two weeks ago. I like to have deadlines like that because once you leave a novel for a few days, it’s almost like starting over again. Since the incubation period is a…

September 21, 2012

Following the Muse

By Patricia Zick @PCZick Sometimes the muse leads us where we need to go. In early 2002, I was working on a novel set on the Suwanee River. I was also a reporter for a 5,000 circulation weekly newspaper in north Florida. I covered one of the more contentious city commissions as WalMart began…

September 19, 2012

Sticks and Stones and Words

By Patricia Zick @PCZick The biggest lie from childhood: Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never harm me. Hit me with a stick or throw a stone at me anytime rather than tell me that my face is ugly or my clothes are old or my mother wears army boots. Tell…

September 14, 2012

Incubating a Novel

“Write. Rewrite. When not writing or rewriting, read. I know of no shortcuts.” Larry L. King By Patricia Zick @PCZick My new novel is incubating. I finished the complete first draft in February. I gave it over to two beta readers who sent back their comments and suggestions in May. In the meantime, I read.…

September 12, 2012

“Once a Upon a Time” is thankfully in the past

By Patricia Zick @PCZick Note: I wrote this column about publishing my first novel in 2000. Times have changed and after re-reading this piece and remembering, I’m happy they have. Viva la revolution! All I ever wanted to do was write, but I kept that knowledge to myself as I went to college and then…

September 7, 2012

The Language of Doublespeak

By Patricia Zick @PCZick The toolbox of the writer contains one major item: language. I respect the power of language and despise the devices of trickery involving its usage. Doublespeak in particular represents the language of subterfuge. It hides, covers, and ignores the truth. Doublespeak rests in the toolbox of politicians, CEOs, and used car…

September 5, 2012

Patti Smith Just Rocks

By Patricia Zick @PCZick Just Kids chronicles the rising star of poet Patti Smith and photographer Robert Mapplethorpe, two free spirits let loose in New York City in the late ‘60s. Patti is the kind of artist I always longed to be: cool and free. My fear of rejection kept me from stepping off my…

August 31, 2012

The Organic Writer

By Patricia Zick @PCZick I recently visited Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater in western Pennsylvania. Wright described his design as organic architecture – a melding of nature and man. As I toured the home, I wanted to sit down and write. I yearned to send all the tour groups on their way so I could enjoy…

August 28, 2012

Originally posted on She Writes With Love: Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts. -Winston Churchill Having been knee deep in the trenches of self-publishing for the last several months, I feel as though I’ve gotten a pretty good perspective on what’s really going on in…