• Hooking The Reader

    One of the cardinal rules in writing, whether it be short or long, fiction or nonfiction, is that the writer is pretty much required to “hook” the reader right at the beginning of the piece, usually within the first page.  You gotta grab him/her/it right away, and never let him go, they say.  Many authors…

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  • What Writers Can Learn From “Jingle Bells”

    I suspect most people in the United States are familiar with the Christmas Carol “Jingle Bells.”  In fact, it, no doubt, is one of the most familiar carols ever in the US.  One particular verse, actually the second, caught my ear many years ago, but just recently I realized how well and how intricately that…

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  • Keep The Action Going – Part II

    A few days ago I was exercising in the fitness facility at the apartment complex where I live, and turned on one of the TVs installed there.  I scanned the channels and came across a movie channel showing “Titanic.”  Now, those of you who read this blog and know me personally may also know I’ve…

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  • Keep The Action Going

    Lately I’ve been watching reruns of the TV crime drama “Major Crimes.”  I like the action as the detectives of the Major Crimes unit solve the case.  The show is well written and the cases deliciously complicated, which keeps me guessing as to the identity of the perpetrator.  But the one major drawback of the…

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