As I add new Posts of Interest to the home page, previously published notes and articles will appear below.
Share ideas, notes on the writing life, news of upcoming writers’ events and other writing ephemera in the comments section below or leave a message on my Contact Me page.
Not Another Book List
8 September 2022
Anyone can create a list of outstanding books to read. If you want bestsellers, promising new writers, or classics to revisit, there’s a list for that. These are not suggestions. You’ve heard enough of those. Read on if book recommendations bore you.
Hitting the Press
5 September 2022
The Streets of Sorrow, a short story inspired by true events, will appear in print in the coming weeks. Accepted for publication in Evening Street Review‘s fall edition, my piece tells the story of an old writer and a young writer. Not nearly as hopeless as its dire title, The Streets of Sorrow tackles the mysteries of memory, art, and shared human experience.
Print editions are for sale at eveningstreetpress.com.
How A-muse-ing; or Use an Inspiration Tape Like a Champ
13 June 2022
Though there’s not a lot of room for analysis in a little-known (but totally awesome) 90s comedy, there’s plenty to say about inspiration tapes. Artists throughout history have turned to muses.
Before I Was a Writer
10 May 2022
When we’re working, we write whenever we can, between shifts, on cigarette breaks, in our heads as we navigate the days. Day jobs can be obstacles. Or, they may give unexpected raw material for memorable stories.
The Complementary Arts
4 May 2022
Can you cure yourself of writer’s block? Maybe.
Editing Software or Not: How Much Comes Down to Mechanics?
11 April 2022
A manuscript tarnished by typos, missed words, and formatting errors, doesn’t stack up well. It faces stiff competition from authors who have gone the extra mile polishing their pieces.
A Woman of Letters
31 March 2022
For a writer, letter writing is not a lost art. In our letters, we practice our craft, learning how our words can touch, amuse, and gall our reader.
Writing About Writing
22 March 2022
Every writer hears, “Write what you know.” And what every writer knows is writing, its intricacy, weight, and solitude. With so many hours spent alone at the keyboard, is anything more authentic to writers than transcribing their daily experiences and emotions?
The Writer’s Game
13 March 2022
Baseball’s literary tradition is undeniable. Generations of writers take inspiration from the chalk lines and grassy diamonds of baseball fields.
Don’t A-BAN-don Me
10 March 2022
Calls to ban books from school libraries and reading lists is on the rise again. Fighting censorship has never been more important.
Edit, Edit, Edit.
23 February 2022
When a piece is in its fourth or fifth draft, further edits are hard to find. Kearns gives writers a quick demonstration of how to look again.
What Would Mother Think?
11 February 2022
Great fiction is drawn from life, mixing writers’ lived experiences with the imagined worlds of their characters. When art co-mingles with life this way, real feelings are at stake. Read more.
Baby Steps
20 January 2022
Until last week, I’d never sold a story. Not for money. And while my first fee is modest, it required me to produce my first invoice. Read about my crash course.
Creating Lifelike Characters
19 November 2021
Characterization can be the difference between a good story and a great one. Read more about ways to look deeper into your characters as you bring them to life.
Writers’ group blues.
17 November 2021
Critique groups, writers’ clubs, style guides, webinars: they are ubiquitous for unpublished writers. Resources like these intend to aid aspiring writers in finding their voices, refining their process, and getting stories in print. Can these methods deliver on their tantalizing promise? Well, there may be one thing missing. Read my full article.
November is the time to get inspired.
1 November 2021
National Novel Writing Month begins November 1st. Join writers across the globe as they get to work on that novel. Read my full article.
More details at:
Publishing Notes
20 October 2021
Publishing… and Other Forms of Madness
Erica Verillo dishes up direct advice on approaching agents and editors while outlining common pitfalls for aspiring writers. Her comprehensive blog includes links to publishers seeking novelists, prose writers and poets, as well as up-to-date lists of paying markets.
Jennifer Frost Writes 