by Zoe M. McCarthy | Nov 5, 2015 | Writing
“Radio shows of old … Listeners heard simple sound effects and limited descriptions, then filled in the details in their minds. Suddenly they were no longer sitting in front of a radio—they were there.” —Marie LambaLet readers help write our stories? In...
by Zoe M. McCarthy | Jul 2, 2015 | Writing
“For me, a page of good prose is where one hears the rain and the noise of the battle. It has the power to give grief or universality that lends it a youthful beauty.” —John CheeverSometimes a strong noun or verb is insufficient to evoke much in our...
by Zoe M. McCarthy | Jun 26, 2014 | Writing
“A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason that a drawing should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary parts.” —William Strunk, Jr. Show, don’t tell, is pounded into the pores of...
by Zoe M. McCarthy | Jun 19, 2014 | Writing
“Don’t tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass.” —Anton Chekov The most caring thing authors can do for their reader is to give them a great story. This means more than a creative, fresh plot. Authors must do the work to bring...
by Zoe M. McCarthy | Jun 5, 2014 | Writing
“I am dead to adverbs; they cannot excite me.” — Mark Twain Look at the –ly adverbs in the next paragraph. Which would you axe? Jason planted his hands firmly on top of the gate, swung his legs over gracefully, hit the ground lightly, and took off after Lily. He...
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