Advice
Dismay
Lieutenant Jeremiah Lockwood looked over the field with dismay. A dozen gray-clad bodies lay around. He was too late. Ahead, a group of Union soldiers were celebrating their victory. Anger boiled within him, as he spurred his horse towards them. Lockwood drew his revolver and fired once into the air. The soldiers looked up. One raised a rifle… then lowered it again.
By Raymond G Taylorabout a month ago in Writers
The Mind Games of Writing. Top Story - September 2026.
Every writer knows this moment. The document is open, the cursor keeps blinking away, and the blank page suddenly feels bigger than every idea bouncing around inside your head. The story is already there, at least in some form, yet the first sentence often feels harder to write than the final hundred pages of a completed manuscript.
By Christian Bassabout a month ago in Writers
Writing Reflections: The Submission
Happy Saturday, folks! I tell you, between doctor’s appointments and work, it has been a hectic week for me, but it’s finally over. The weekend has finally arrived, and I can focus on relaxing, reading, and writing for a couple of days before the insanity starts all over again on Monday. So, thank you for joining me for another Writing Reflection. Today, I want to talk about a much more recent work of mine than usual. With the release of the Last Call Challenge results on Wednesday, I would like to turn my attention to my entry to that Challenge, titled “The Submission”.
By Stephanie Hoogstadabout a month ago in Writers
What really makes a good parent?
What does parent education really mean? I have just finished reading a book entitled 'Kids Under Construction' by Ricki D. Pavlu a pastor, who is also a parent. Throughout this book he shares his memories of raising his children and giving hints and tips to new parents and to those who have been in this grand profession for years. It is a great book that to me brought the sacred and secular together for we were all created by the one great parent who we were made in his image. Parents are our first teachers as so was God. Pray!
By Mark Grahamabout a month ago in Writers
The Pit and The Pendulum – a scene lives on in my mind. Top Story - September 2026.
The 1960s had so many scary movies. They were not full of blood and gore; rather, they took you to the edge and let your imagination fill it in. Vincent Price and Ray Milland starred in so many. My friends and I would go to double features for $.50 cents ($.25 per movie). Godzilla or King Kong didn't scare me. I always felt sorry for the creatures who were being shot at.
By Andrea Corwin about a month ago in Writers
The Traditional Writer is Dead
The traditional writer is dead. More than that, the “traditional” writer never existed in the first place. “But Stephanie,” you say, “what about those writers who use the old-style formats, formal writing, those who don’t break the rules? Aren’t they ‘traditional’ writers?”
By Stephanie Hoogstadabout a month ago in Writers
Writing Reflections: Echo Cries. Top Story - September 2026.
Happy Saturday once again, my friends! I’m back with another Writing Reflection. This week, I want to focus on a poem that falls under a category that I write quite often: poetry based on mythology. If you have followed my profile for a while, you have probably noticed that I like to write poetry based on Greek and Roman mythology. In particular, I like to write this kind of poetry using variations of the poem style of the nonet, but instead of nine lines, I use twelve or, sometimes, thirteen lines (although this is rare, and usually only because I have miscounted and don’t want to go through the work of rewriting the poem to be twelve lines).
By Stephanie Hoogstadabout a month ago in Writers
