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,...
top of page
Search
Dennis L. Peterson
- Jun 18, 2020
- 2 min
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
- May 22, 2020
- 3 min
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 12, 2020
- 2 min
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 8, 2020
- 3 min
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
- Jan 31, 2020
- 2 min
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 10, 2020
- 2 min
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
- Dec 13, 2019
- 2 min
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
- Nov 15, 2019
- 2 min
“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 8, 2019
- 2 min
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
- Oct 18, 2019
- 3 min
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
- Jul 12, 2019
- 4 min
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
- May 31, 2019
- 2 min
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 17, 2019
- 2 min
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 10, 2019
- 2 min
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 7, 2019
- 3 min
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 3, 2019
- 2 min
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
- Apr 30, 2019
- 3 min
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 26, 2019
- 3 min
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 23, 2019
- 3 min
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...
bottom of page