I stole someone’s grocery cart this week; didn’t notice until I got to the checkout line and my reusable grocery bags weren’t there. A pleasant and efficient clerk found my bags in an empty, unattended cart. I thanked him, paid for my groceries, and left. Once home, I discovered I had bought someone else’s breakfast […]
Character development through humiliation by Lani Longshore Read More »
The publication of Mark Twain’s autobiography reminded me of how quickly the world is changing. Twain wanted to write honestly, so willed that this book not be published until 100 years after his death. In a Twitter world, all I could think was, “Filters. What a quaint notion.” I blog, and subscribe to a couple
Mark Twain mind, Twitter world by Lani Longshore Read More »
When lighting a candle isn’t an option, should we curse the dark or learn to write with the lights off? I’m not the only writer who is struck with wonderful ideas at the most inconvenient times. The more disciplined among us actually stop what they’re doing and write notes. I am not so disciplined, especially
Writing in the dark by Lani Longshore Read More »
I am not a tortured artist. My life has been mostly free from drama, and I was raised to keep it that way. But I write science fiction; in my stories, when a stranger comes to town, it’s usually a very strange stranger. For me to create characters that are believable outsiders, I have to
Becoming the other by Lani Longshore Read More »
Tri-Valley members Lynn Goodwin, Lani Longshore and Hector Timourian have been confirmed as authors to be published in West Winds, the California Writers Club anthology.
Lynn Goodwin, Lani Longshore, Hector Timourian in Westwinds anthology Read More »
I’m declaring this Critique Group Appreciation Week. My gratitude for the six women in my group, who have patiently commented on my novel for over a year, has exceeded the bounds of one or two thank-you emails. Only in the company of other dedicated writers, do I feel comfortable enough to display my “baby.” The
In praise of critique groups by Elaine Schmitz Read More »
Some writers friends and I talked about family stories, how we loved preserving the history, but how we had to fudge the facts so various family members wouldn’t send a hit man after us. It is true that no man is the villain in his own story, nor any woman. It is also true that
Characters and how to provoke them by Lani Longshore Read More »
Writing on vacation is tricky – which is probably why I’ve always failed at it. I take notebooks, printed pages, a variety of pens (because having the right pen makes all the difference), check over the itinerary for “me time” when the rest of the family is golfing. Still, when the room is empty, so
California deadline dreaming by Lani Longshore Read More »
Deep in my heart, I know an organized person is a productive person. Putting things down instead of putting them away leads to chaos. Leaving notes scattered around the computer leads to frantic searches for that brilliant idea on character development, or the crucial next plot point that points the way to the perfect ending.
A writer’s view of organization by Lani Longshore Read More »
This time of year I often forage for breakfast in the raspberry canes. As writers, we sometimes find ourselves foraging amidst the prickly canes of our imaginations, hoping that shimmer of color really is ripe fruit. Only after we reach out, risking scratches from thorns and bites from hidden spiders, will we know if the
June 2010 President’s Message from Lani Longshore Read More »
