Imagery: Beyond “Show Don’t Tell”

I am sure that if you have attended any creative writing courses at all , you have heard the old addage “Show, don’t tell.”  This is referring to the idea that amateur writers often tell us about the action in their narrative rather than “showing” events through imagery, figurative language and good description.  Over the

A to Z Challenge: Creating Characters Using Mindnode

Today I thought I would post a video tutorial about how I use Mindnode to create vivid characters.  Mindnode is probably the easiest tool for brainstorming and character mapping out there.  A free version is available that allows you to use the basic functions, but the full version is only $20 and is well worth

Fun With Mindnode

I have seen many posts recently from writers who agonize over organization or simply coming up with great ideas.  My suggestion is to pop on over to Mindnode and download a copy of their program today. Mindnode is a program that works like a virtual chalkboard.  Upon opening the program, you are given a blank screen

Top 10 Cool Things About Scrivener

I know I’ve written a great deal about Scrivener on my blog, but really, it is one of the best programs for writers out there, and has the potential to help any writer boost their skills through organization, ease of use, and production to multiple formats. First, get the program here.  It costs $49, which

The Myth of Writer’s Block

I have taught AP Composition for over 10 years.  One of the things that students always complain about is what they call “writer’s block”.  I am convinced, after years of writing, that writer’s block does not exist, and is a concept created by a media culture to explain a simple phenomenon of laziness. A great