Writing Marathon Training Continues How are you doing with your marathon training, en route to November’s Write Nonfiction in November writing challenge? Encouraged, energized, and holding steady, I hope. The marathon training, known formally as the 10-month “I Know I Can” Write Nonfiction in November training program, is now 20% complete! In the month of January, our theme was pop…
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This post is a blogged draft excerpt from The Author Training Manual (Writer’s Digest Books, March 2014). Read the previous blogged excerpt, here. Unlike the Alice Attitude that leaves you wandering around aimlessly, the best attitude to have if you want to train to become an author is an “Author Attitude.” You adopt an Author Attitude every time you put…
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Dr. Maya Angelou Wednesday Welcome to our very last writing prompt in the month of February. This concludes a successful turn with the theme of Black History Month and drops hints for what will come on Friday. Today, we focus on Dr. Angelou’s power to move people through her writing. Your job is to interpret A Prayer for Peace by…
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If you haven’t noticed, I’m blogging bits of my next book, The Author Training Manual (Writer’s Digest Books, 2014), here on this blog. Now, why would I do that? And why would my publisher want me to do that? Let me explain. Blogging a Book is a Good Idea First, the concept of blogging a book, writing, publishing and promoting…
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Funky Language Monday In today’s writing prompt, we focus on a unique dictionary that contains all kinds of funky words, including African American idioms, expressions, and slang terms. Just like other major social media projects, UrbanDictionary.com was created by a student. Since its inception in 1999, this website has grown in popularity and cultural significance. Your job is to research…
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History Friday 2013 is flying by! Today is the last Friday in February and our final History Friday writing prompt. Let’s go back in time to honor a little-known inventor from the mid 1800s, Joseph Lee, whom I fondly dub “the Bread Crumb Guy.” Joseph was a forward-thinking African American man who revolutionized the food industry with his invention of…
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Dr. Maya Angelou Wednesday In today’s writing prompt, we focus on an interesting turn of events that leads Dr. Maya Angelou to a unique business venture. We already know that Dr. Angelou has done a great deal of writing. She’s a published author, an accomplished public speaker, a champion within the civil rights movement, and a general inspirational person for…
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