Linda K Sienkiewicz

Writing life, line by line

Birthdays After You Lose a Child

By

I vividly remember the moment Derek was born. The doctor laid him across my chest and there he was, my first baby -- his round face like a pale moon, his eyes open and unblinking, his little body warm and wet, his heart beating against my bare skin. I won't ever forget his first smile, his first word (It was butterfly, and I have a witness), and his first steps in the wooded acre behind our … [Read more...]

How to Make a Book Purse

By

I had been making purses from record album covers for a few years when a friend in my MFA program asked if I could make a purse from her book. I never had even thought of such a thing, but I thought "why not?" So I did some research, looked at examples of how other creatives made them, and came up with my own method. I made this book purse with a button and loop closure for my friend from … [Read more...]

Don’t Go Easy on Dialogue

By

Ali Luke’s guest column on "10 Easy Ways to Improve Your Dialogue" on Write To Done made me reflect on the things I've learned about dialogue over the years. There are easy ways for improving your dialogue, but don't take the easy way out. Don't write the first thing that comes to mind. That's being lazy. Go beyond what's easy. 1. The best dialogue reflects what’s not being … [Read more...]

Why Rush to Publish?

By

You wrote a book! You want it published! Now! Congratulations! I've felt that same excitement. However, I urge you to resist that impulse to self-publish right away. I know you're excited and, trust me, I know time is the downside of traditional publishing. It can take years. First you have to query agents. That can take a year or more of submitting your … [Read more...]

Dialogue Tags – Don’t Get Crazy

By

Nancy Pontificated I'll never forget the time a line of dialogue in a Nancy Drew book that ended ...Nancy pontificated. I laughed out loud. Everyone knows Nancy Drew has strong opinions. She's always pontificating! Why would the author need to interject herself into the dialogue with such a dialogue tag as pontificated?! Said would have easily done the job, and I could have … [Read more...]