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The Worst Writing Advice
In last week’s post, we considered some of the most helpful advice about writing. But, as I mentioned in that post, everyone is a critic,...
Dennis L. Peterson
Jun 26, 20203 min read


Advice that Helped My Writing
Someone once asked what pieces of advice have helped me most with my writing. After contemplating the question for a while, I think I’d...
Dennis L. Peterson
Jun 18, 20202 min read


What’s That Smell?!
It’s funny how smells can trigger various emotions and thoughts. You detect a certain odor, and your mind immediately flies to a memory...
Dennis L. Peterson
May 22, 20203 min read


Remembering William Zinsser
Zinsser was born October 7, 1922. Following service in the Army in North Africa and Italy during World War II, he returned to the United...
Dennis L. Peterson
May 12, 20202 min read


The Virtue of Silence
My week started off with a measure of excitement for me. I was able to meet (in a virtual sort of way) an author whose works I’ve long...
Dennis L. Peterson
May 8, 20203 min read


Jack or Master?
No doubt, you’ve heard the adage “a jack of all trades, a master of none,” referring to someone who can do a lot of different things but...
Dennis L. Peterson
Jan 31, 20202 min read


An Old Farmer’s Words of Wisdom
One of my earliest childhood memories is of sitting on the couch beside my grandfather (we called him Pappaw) in his house while he...
Dennis L. Peterson
Jan 10, 20202 min read


The Tasks We Dread
To paraphrase a familiar adage, “A writer’s gotta do what a writer’s gotta do.” So I’m doing it. Because it has to be done sometime. No...
Dennis L. Peterson
Dec 13, 20192 min read


“Little” Errors in Writing Are Potential Problems
That said, I was reading for pleasure a few nights ago (an historical novel, no less!) when my editorial alarm went off like an air-raid...
Dennis L. Peterson
Nov 15, 20192 min read


The Fourth Quarter: A Review
Mathis, Jim. The Fourth Quarter (Overland Park, Kan.: Mathis Books, 2018). Paper, 102 pages. Available https://jim-mathis-writerjimmathis...
Dennis L. Peterson
Nov 8, 20192 min read


Writing Lessons, Courtesy DMV
To fully appreciate what I’m saying, one must understand the backstory, realizing the change that took place in DMV over the years....
Dennis L. Peterson
Oct 18, 20193 min read


Our Persistent Peach Puzzle
When my wife and I moved to our current residence, one of the first things that went on our “we-want-to-do-this-to-the-property-some-day”...
Dennis L. Peterson
Jul 12, 20194 min read


Mixing Work and Play
A writer’s work is never done, even during vacations. If a writer is not looking for ideas, then he or she is doing research, people...
Dennis L. Peterson
May 31, 20192 min read


Reflections on a Winslow Homer Painting
But that painting, “Snap the Whip,” was more than a sanity-maintainer for me. It reminded me of three special people: my grandfather, my...
Dennis L. Peterson
May 17, 20192 min read


Writers Said It
Sometimes great writers have some interesting advice and insights about the craft of writing (and many other topics). Here are a few...
Dennis L. Peterson
May 10, 20192 min read


Navigating versus Drifting
A number of years ago, my wife and I were returning from a trip up north and were cruising along somewhere down I-75 in Ohio. We had a...
Dennis L. Peterson
May 7, 20193 min read


Books I Recommend to Writer Friends
I recently completed an eight-part series answering the question “How does one go about getting a book published?” Some of my writer...
Dennis L. Peterson
May 3, 20192 min read


8. You Have a Publisher–Now What?
(Eighth and final in a series) Having gotten a workable idea, done the necessary research, outlined the manuscript, written the first...
Dennis L. Peterson
Apr 30, 20193 min read


7. Pitching Your Book
(Seventh in a series) Once you’ve found several potential publishers for your book, it’s time to “pitch” it to them. By “pitch,” I mean...
Dennis L. Peterson
Apr 26, 20193 min read


6. Researching the Markets
(Sixth in a series) In the preceding five installments of this series, I’ve been answering the question of how one goes about getting a...
Dennis L. Peterson
Apr 23, 20193 min read
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