Author: Cathryn Free
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5 Ways to Instantly Improve Your Writing
These 5 tips can instantly improve your writing! I’ve taught writing for many years, mostly to middle school age kids and teenagers, and I’ve seen a lot of writing over the years. Some of it good, some of it bad, and some of it very, VERY ugly. No one is born a writer. It’s not…
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6 Books to Read if You’re Serious about Writing
If writing is something you want to do, these 6 books on writing will help get you started. Good writers write, but did you know they also READ? Like, A LOT? In fact, many authors, when asked how does someone become a better writer, they often suggest two things: Write a lot and read a…
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What is the Hero’s Journey?
What is the hero’s journey and how does it apply to story telling? Storytelling is as old as mankind. We all love stories. It’s why we read books and why we watch movies. It’s why we listen to our friends when they regale us with their crazy antics or funny memories. We love story. And…
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“Peace at Gunpoint” Published in Guide Magazine
My latest piece “Peace at Gunpoint” was published in Guide magazine. Sometimes months can go by before I actually see an accepted piece in print. In fact, I had almost forgotten about this piece until I saw the envelope in my mailbox! It was exciting–it’s always exciting to see your name in print next to…
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How to Set Writing Goals
How to set goals that move your toward your writing dream. It’s the time of year when people make resolutions or set goals. I have to be honest, I used to not care at all about the New Year and scoffed at resolutions. But as I’ve gotten older, I find the reflection of the past…
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Project 100: A Year in Review
My review on the year of Project 100 Last January, I set a goal for myself. I set a number of goals, actually, but I specifically set the goal of getting 100 rejections for 2021. It was a lofty goal and sounded kind of crazy, but I had my reasons. I might have been overly…
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Meeting Deadlines During the Holidays
How to deal with the stress of deadlines during the holiday season. I recently had a piece accepted at a magazine I had previously contributed to. This is pretty awesome, because I’d love to have a great working relationship with this magazine (and others as well). Having that good rapport means that in the future,…
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How to Write a Cover Letter
Tips to show you how to write your best cover letter and get a piece accepted! So you have written a piece–maybe a book or a short story–and you’re ready to submit. But wait! You noticed on many submission guidelines that they request a cover letter. Just when you thought you were done writing, you…
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Free Writer’s Workshop Wednesday: Homophones
This Wednesday’s Writer’s Workshop is all about Homophones Ah, homophones. Funny word for a confusing topic. Homophones are a strange nuance in the English language, that even native speakers struggle with. Some of these homophones occur so frequently in writing, and it’s a glaring error. Whether you’re submitting a piece to an editor or a…
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Requested Manuscript: Now What?
You’ve queried agent after agent, hoping to find the perfect fit. Finally, you land that first miracle: a requested manuscript! Now what do you do? If you’ve hung around for a while, you may remember a post I did a while back called Project 100. My goal for my first querying process was to get…
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