We’re a wordy bunch, we English speakers. According to the Oxford Dictionaries’ Lexico website (“How Many Words Are There in the English Language?”), “The Second Edition of the 20-volume Oxford English Dictionary, published in 1989, contains full entries for 171,476 words in current use, and 47,156 obsolete words. To this may be added around 9,500 derivative […]
Writing Craft
New Year’s Resolutions: How to Douse a Dumpster Fire
The phrase “dumpster fire” seems to have been invented purely for the year 2020. With the year’s passing, most of us are looking with sad puppy-dog eyes at 2021, hoping for a smidgeon of mercy. A modicum of normalcy. An ounce of civility. And a big ol’ dollop of hope. But, of course, we all […]
Write Like an Artist
Last month, I was a speaker at the League of Utah Writers annual Quills Writing Conference in Salt Lake City. I moved to Colorado in May, but I guess they still like me in Utah, because they haven’t revoked my membership yet. So it was fun and motivating to see old writing friends and make […]
Goal + Fear = Conflict
So there’s this guy. He’s tall. Bit of a loner. Okay, a lot of a loner, even when he’s with people. I know what he drives. I know what he drinks. I know he’s getting mixed up with a woman who may not be who she says she is. But I don’t know what makes […]
Comprise vs. Compose
Pet peeves are funny. They start as barely-on-the-radar blips of something that seems a little off. Then a few more blips appear. And a few more. And pretty soon, the radar is lit up like the proverbial Christmas tree, and you’re pulling out your hair, screaming, “Enough already!” The word “comprise” has become my newest […]
Breathing Life into Lackluster Beginnings
By Kelley Lindberg Beginnings. They aren’t easy. You’d think they’d be. After all, that’s where every story starts. How hard can it be, really? You just jump in a start telling the story. But many potentially good stories are stabbed through the heart by the dull wooden stake of a lackluster beginning. The problem with […]
