An Author’s Impression of Literary Agents
Been doing my research (for hours and hours and…) “Experts” out there who may or may not want to sincerely help you get your book…
Keep readingThat Dratted Inspiration Imp
Just when you’re rolling along with one work of fiction… This article grew out another exchange with an author on Substack. J. Michael Thomas is…
Keep readingWhat Does That Rejection Really Mean?
Using my personal experiences to help you in your journey as a writer, and a short story bonus Having had two items rejected in a…
Keep readingResponding to Beta Reader Feedback
An example from one of my WIPs An article by Jessica Barberi on Substack sparked an online discussion with The Bloodied Quill, another author on…
Keep readingFrom Standalone Novel to Series
Turning that single book into several Book series are rather popular these days. For new writers, though, they can seem like a mountain to climb.…
Keep readingMake 2026 the Year for Writers
Forging ahead in the New Year The ball dropped. The band played. People kissed and sang “Auld Lang Syne” or just cheered. And we marked…
Keep readingA Writing Experience: Book to Screenplay
Learning is a lifelong process Recently, a “mentor” (that is, a person with connections in the movie industry) encouraged me to write a screenplay from…
Keep readingReshaping a Witch’s Mountain of Writing
When a writing project grows into a Witch’s Mountain—Bwahaha! In keeping with the Halloween Vibe many of us all already feeling as September and autumn…
Keep readingThe Story of Freelan — Helping Hands
Accidents happen, and how others react can make the difference Welcome back to the Freelan series, my ever-growing, kudzu-like work of literary fiction, involving romance,…
Keep readingThe Story of Freelan — Ouch! Life Gets Thorny!
Terry Haskill had lots of convivial company during his life, but now… See also on my website: How a Simple Romance Grew and Dealing with…
Keep readingThe Story of Freelan — Dealing with Life’s Thorns
With a name like “Rose,” life has to be thorny—and so does love! See also: How a Simple Romance Grew The Freelan series has been…
Keep readingThe AI Factor in Literature
Your mind is being replaced The technology called by the misnomer “artificial intelligence” (AI) has burst upon the world, having been in development for a…
Keep readingThe Story of Freelan — From Villain to Hero
A little something different (i.e., not a story) for this day Peter Thorn is a fictional character in my Freelan novel series that, no pun…
Keep readingCrafting a Villain
They don’t have to love puppies to be likable No matter the fiction genre in which you are writing, you are very likely going to…
Keep readingThe Story of Freelan — The Creed of Farmers & Ranchers
The First of April is here but there are no April Fools in Freelan! One of Aesop’s fables tells of a father with several sons…
Keep readingSome Thoughts on Titles
When words carry a lot of weight! Coming up with a title for your stories, novels, essays, non-fiction, articles, and other written works can be…
Keep readingThe Freelan Gazette is now The Story of Freelan
Thanks to all of you who subscribed to The Freelan Gazette. As fun as it was to write, the time needed has become too much…
Keep readingSome Very Worthy Writing Advice
Wade through the weak or terrible writing advice online to find the good stuff So that you, dear readers, do not think this site is…
Keep readingWhy Modern Fiction Is So Uninteresting
Highlighting some of the worst writing advice I’ve seen online A year ago, I wrote about some of the worst writing advice. Now I am…
Keep readingWelcome to the March 2024 Issue of the Freelan Gazette
Hello, subscribers, and welcome to the new nation of Freelan. The February 2024 issue starts your year out right with, as always, more about how…
Keep readingHaving a Character Do Something You Wouldn’t or Couldn’t
Living vicariously through your writing? When writing fiction, as opposed to an autobiography, you create characters who do things you never would—or at least I…
Keep readingThe Futility of Subtlety and Symbolism in Modern Literature
Recent feedback on a couple of stories showed this loud and clear Ever feel as a writer that you are tossing pearls before swine? You’re…
Keep readingThe Freelan Series Code vs. the Jedi Code
Warriors of different kinds need different codes A recent essay on Substack by the Brothers Krynn lit a spark in my brain. The essay addressed…
Keep readingThe “Shear” Delight of Story Cutting
A personal experience of “writer’s freedom” that you might also have experienced or that might help you in your own struggles, dealing with publisher word…
Keep readingThe Incredible Shrinking Short Story
In an age of tweets (x-posts?), flash fiction, and corresponding attention spans, the short story has considerably shrunk. In the age of social media where…
Keep readingDo Your Characters Need to Use Profanity?
Some call it “spice.” Others call it “heat.” And some even call it “swearing,” “adult language,” or “foul language.” But the technical term is “profanity.”…
Keep readingAlternate Avenues for Short Story Submissions
Having spent about ten days researching two popular platforms (literary magazines and anthologies) for us writers to send our short stories, I am seeing that…
Keep readingLit Mag Review: Sonder
One great opportunity for us writers as a way to get our name before the reading public is a thing called the “literary magazine,” and…
Keep readingThe Use of Contractions in Fiction
Contractions are in common use among us English speakers (I won’t delve into their use in other languages here, but I can say that French…
Keep readingAuthors and Readers as Philosophers
A discussion about an author’s philosophy and whether it affects his/her writing came up the other day. One author declared, “I’m not a philosopher.” I…
Keep readingHow Much Editing Is Too Much?
The role of copyeditor is a thankless one. Lots of prima donna writers out there wedded to every word. Right? Well, not exactly. We writers…
Keep readingThe Role of Writers
Articles, postings on social media, and even a multitude of websites focused on the art of writing are blaring out a message these days: Writers…
Keep readingA Different Kind of World Building in Literature
When we hear the term “world building” in relation to literature, the fantasy or science fiction genres are most likely to come to mind. That’s…
Keep readingDo Word Counts Matter?
The obsession over word counts has taken over from concern for the craft of writing. Authors are constantly posting about their word counts, but how…
Keep readingAuthors Playing “Follow the Leader”
Many of us have a tendency inculcated in us from our school days to regard someone as a subject authority and to follow whatever that…
Keep readingA Literary Niche You Can Help Fill
Calling all writers and publishers! New genres seem to pop up every day. (See my article: Publisher Agent Fiction Genres Defined complete with downloadable PDF.)…
Keep readingSome of the Worst Advice I Have Seen for Writers
Writing experts abound. I don’t claim to be one of them. My articles pass along things I have learned during my 40+ years of writing…
Keep readingUsing Your Personal Experiences
You broke up with your boyfriend/girlfriend, got divorced, were diagnosed with a terrible disease, won first prize in a contest, were fired from a job,…
Keep readingMore on Dialogue
People talk. So do characters in novels and other works of fiction. And one of the most important things you can do to make reading…
Keep readingSwitching Genres
There are two times in your life as a writer when you will very possibly find yourself switching from one genre to another. Embrace the…
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A.C. Cargill, Author 