By: Marilyn L. Davis

“Don’t you ever get scared?” I ask.
“Of what?” She says,
“Of not being good enough.”
“You mean at writing?” L’il asks.
I nod. “What if I’m the only one who thinks I can do it and no one else does? What if I’m fooling myself?”
“Oh, Carrie.” She smiles. “Don’t you know that every writer feels that way? Fear is part of the job.” ― Candace Bushnell, author of Summer and the City

There is so much competition for readers, subscribers, and followers today that I think many writers simply don’t publish for fear of being judged.  For example, what if the only kind of ice cream you ever eat is “store-bought vanilla”? Then you’ll never realize how many varieties there are: natural, gelato, gluten-free, lactose-free, no sugar added and well, you’re probably getting the point. But many people do realize their choices of…

By: Marilyn L. Davis

Note: While some of you in my generation may reference my title as a parody on the Eagles, “Life in the Fast Lane”, it actually came in a comment from Slug Latimer on Facebook.  I asked permission to use “Life in the Last Lane”, and Slug graciously gifted it to me. Now, if you’re the originator of this phrase, let me know, and I’ll give you credit as well.

“How did it get so late so soon?
It’s night before it’s afternoon.
December is here before it’s June.
My goodness how the time has flewn.
How did it get so late so soon?”
― Dr. Seuss

Late to the Party? Doesn’t Matter

I’ve only been writing online for about three years, so many could say – who cares what you write about, who are you, what can you offer, or other references since I’m a late arrival.

Looking for Feedback in All the Wrong Places

I have a beta reader who gives me great feedback on the overall scope, characters, plot and pacing of my manuscript.  But it is always a good idea to get as many different points of view as possible.  So I went on a hunt for more beta readers, particularly those who can give me suggestions on the technical side of writing, such as sentence structure and grammar.

On some of the sites that I checked out, the feedback consisted of ‘good book’ or ‘I liked it’.

Ummm… thanks but that’s a little vague.  Are you just here to read books for free?

I need feedback from writers that are better than me, writers that can teach me things.

Hitting the Motherlode

I found Scribophile at the end of December.  It has helped me connect with some really good writers from all over…

By: Marilyn L. Davis

“Let me just acknowledge that the function of grammar is to make the language as efficient and clear and transparent as possible. But if we’re all constantly correcting each other’s grammar and being really snotty about it, then people stop talking because they start to be petrified that they’re going to make some sort of terrible grammatical error and that’s precisely the opposite of what grammar is supposed to do, which is to facilitate clear communication.” ― John Green

Bogged Down with Words, Punctuation and Images?

First, I don’t like grammar Nazis. I also don’t like labeling people, however, there are individuals who read a post with the sole purpose of finding fault. The type of person I’m displeased with is the one who takes exception to a dangling participle, or is offended by an occasional exclamation point.

But they have valid points.

Maybe because I try…