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Oct 24
2 min

Letting your baby rest

Did you know wild elephants average just 2 hours of sleep a night? Thankfully, humans typically get more sleep than that. But suffice it ...

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Critique Groups – Do you need to join one?

LV Ditchkus

Sep 1
1 min

Critique Groups – Do you need to join one?

Assume you’ve written the perfect novel, and you’d like to start looking for an agent or consider self-publishing. How do you know your c...

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LV Ditchkus

Jul 28
2 min

Why contribute to an anthology?

First off, what is an anthology? An anthology is a published collection of short stories or poems. It can be written by different authors...

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Is writing a novel in a month for everyone?

LV Ditchkus

Jun 24
2 min

Is writing a novel in a month for everyone?

If you’ve never heard of NaNoWriMo (https://nanowrimo.org), you might be amazed or in awe of what it does. This organization supports the...

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LV Ditchkus

May 5
1 min

Is Bigfoot the next big thing?

Check out the Speculative Fiction Writers Group post from L.V. Ditchkus: https://specficwriters.com/is-sasquatch-the-next-big-thing/

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LV Ditchkus

Mar 14
2 min

How to approach self-editing

As a new writer, I loved developing the first draft. My creative juices flowed, and new ideas gave me goosebumps. The editing process see...

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LV Ditchkus

Feb 4
1 min

What makes a good book?

Everyone has ideas about what they are looking for in a good book. Here’s what I want: 1) Characters who are believable and make me want ...

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LV Ditchkus

Nov 18, 2019
2 min

Short Stories versus the Novel

Of course, the primary point is that size matters. While there are a variety of views on how many words are in each, in my opinion, short...

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Traditional versus self-publishing journey

LV Ditchkus

Oct 17, 2019
2 min

Traditional versus self-publishing journey

The decision an aspiring author makes when choosing between the traditional and self-publishing routes can be a game-changer – both for y...

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LV Ditchkus

Aug 17, 2019
3 min

The Pitch

In a couple of weeks, I will attend a major writers’ conference. So it’s time to tune-up my pitch (aka logline). I’ve been reading the fi...

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LV Ditchkus

Jul 12, 2019
2 min

Who are ‘your people’?

Some view writing as a solo journey, but many, including myself, rely on others to help improve their craft and learn about what’s availa...

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LV Ditchkus

Jun 7, 2019
1 min

About rules....

Being a former accountant and banking supervisor, I understand the importance of rules. There are boatloads of rules in writing. Not just...

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LV Ditchkus

May 2, 2019
2 min

On writing characters

Writing characters who are full of life and who readers can feel something about (e.g., love, despise, fear, or empathize with) can be a ...

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LV Ditchkus

Apr 1, 2019
1 min

The writing journey

Everyone starts in a different place with diverse gifts; however, many debut writers take similar paths to develop and promote their firs...

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L.V. DITCHKUS