by Zoe M. McCarthy | Jun 11, 2015 | Blogging
“Just because you have to be accurate doesn’t mean you can’t find ways to make your title pop.” — Corey EridonWe can improve our reach by spending more time on wording our blog titles. Going a step further: We need to improve the headlines on all online content we...
by Zoe M. McCarthy | Jun 4, 2015 | Writing
“Nothing marks a skilled writer as much as his ability to write tight.” — Angela HuntSometimes the words we use in our writing detract from other words in our stories.Think of the alleged egg-sucking habits of weasels. An egg a weasel has sucked empty will look intact...
by Zoe M. McCarthy | May 28, 2015 | Writing
“Life is a glorious banquet, a limitless and delicious buffet.” — Maya AngelouJohn and I created a straw bale garden. No dirt. No plowing. The straw bales become ovens to germinate and grow fruits and vegetables. The process mirrors what is needed to cook up a great...
by Zoe M. McCarthy | May 21, 2015 | Writing
“Remember, the essence of storytelling demands that we place our main characters on a path. A quest with something at stake, with something to do, to achieve, to learn, and to change.” —Larry BrooksNovels must show change in their main characters. Growth moments in...
by Zoe M. McCarthy | May 14, 2015 | Writing
“Good questions out rank easy answers.” — Paul Samuelson I’ve studied the craft of writing for a while now. Sometimes all the questions experts say I need to ask myself gets overwhelming.But the more I write, the less often I need to ask myself some of the questions....