04 April 2026 - Poetic Voice - National Poetry Month

 

Most writers have delved into writing poetry. This usually began in their youth and teens. When writing stories came along, most writers set poetry aside or kept the poetic urge, and subsequent poems, to themselves. After all, stories were far more fun to write.

Yet, it is the poetic whisper, the cadence and rhythms of the words in sentences, and the focus on brevity that can create a singularly profound image in the mind of the beholder—the reader of fiction.

Adding or establishing some wonder, a bit of awe, or a surprising quirkiness to stories can be done as simply as reading poetry. Doing so allows the subconscious to absorb phrasing, rhythms, and instant-imagery providing future opportunities to create surprises for you, and your readers.

This month is National Poetry Month. Visit your local library and pick out a book of poems. Read and listen with a keen inner ear and you may be pleasantly surprised at the result in your next story.

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03 March 2026 - Days in a Daze

      I was aghast when I discovered that I hadn't published a February post.

It would be easy to blame the omission on the long winter's extremely cold weather. Or the depressingly short days and long, dark nights. Or even blame it on the imminent dread that Punxsutawney Phil would predict six more weeks of continued, bitter winter.

Truth be told, I don't know why I forgot to post to this blog on February 1st. 

But this is March 1st. A new month. Time for a new topic to be posted.

Winter has curmudgeonly relented enough to give above freezing days with the sunshine delightfully radiating through my windows. Both boost and invigorate my spirits.

The sun has even managed to burn off the deep snow. Only the exposed ground of dead grass and crushed, wet leaves is not a pleasant view. It's a stark reminder that spring isn't here yet.

If you've managed to wade through the above paragraphs, you might wonder what all this expounding on weather has to do with writing or the lack of writing.

Absolutely everything.

You see weather affects mood, and—

    Mood affects the impulse to create, and—

    As if it were bipolar, the impulse to create runs from fickle nonexistence to manic effervescence.

The winter's frigid days has me bundling up—a stocking cap, two acrylic-wool sweaters (one with a high turtleneck collar), open-fingered mittens, fleece-lined pants, and a blanket-fleece lap robe over my knees. The clothing enables me to sit in front of my computer  to plod away at the writing and the other activities of being a member of varied organizations (secretary, newsletter editor, sender of notices of meetings, blogger, etc.) At such times, an Eskimo has more dexterity than I. 

    The furnace, of course, blasted out hot air to keep the house temperature at sixty-seven degrees warm (it always feels like thirty-two degrees).

The urge, in such a state of overdress is to leave the office nook, get under the electric blanket (set it on high heat), and sip something hot. Which means my body's survival needs work to override my creative need for expression. 

In case you've never seen me post it, I'll repeat the fact that logic always trumps creativity.

Thinking positive, that spring will come or that the days are lengthening and warming, doesn't help. After all, the ground is currently frozen solid, and today's wind blasts its arctic chill.

And yet, at the corner of my walkway, hope raises its green tips. The snowdrops, the first flowers of spring, defy the elements. Today, I ventured outside and checked for them. Joy! Their tiny green leaves have pierced the soil half an inch. And deep between the shoots are white flower buds. It will be days, many days, before they open, but they will open.

Each bud also means the dreary mood of winter yields to the blossoming joy that warms the fingers over the keyboard. The imagination perks up, as if signaled to go ahead and create a new story. Creativity-life renews.

Does spring and sunshine invigorate your writing mood?

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2026 - January - Celebrations

 

Happy New Year!

The new year 2026 is here and, typically, it's a time to make resolutions to better ourselves, our lives, our jobs, our families, and our writing.

But the individual days of January also offer other reasons to celebrate. As a writer, I'm drawn to the following January days of celebration:

January 1 — Copyright Law Day 

January 2 — National Motivation and Inspiration Day

     — National Science Fiction Day

January 3 — J.R.R. Tolkien Day

January 4 — National CanDo Day 

January 5 — National Screenwriters Day

January 6 — National Take a Poet to Lunch Day

January 7 — I Am a Mentor Day

January 8 — International Typing Day

       — World Literary Day

January 9 — Word Nerd Day

       — Poetry at Work Day

January 10 — National Peculiar People Day

— Quitters Day

January 11 — World Sketchnote Day

January 12 — Stick to Your New Year’s Resolution Day

— Work Harder Day

January 13 — Make Your Dreams Come True Day

— National Clean Your Desk Day

— Poetry Break Day

January 14 — Poetry at Work Day 

— Printing Ink Day

— World Logic Day

January 15 — Wikipedia Day

January 16 — Appreciate a Dragon Day

— Book Publishers Day

— National Nothing Day

January 17 — Ditch New Year’s Resolutions Day

— International We Are Not Broken Day

January 18 — National Gourmet Coffee Day 

— National Use Your Gift Card Day 

— Maintenance Day

— Thesaurus Day

— Winnie the Pooh Day

January 19 — Good Memory Day

January 20 — Blue Monday 

— Civil Rights Day 

— Elementary School Teacher Day 

— National Coffee Break Day

— Take A Walk Outdoors Day 

January 21 — One-Liners Day 

— Thank Your Mentor Day

January 22 — Library Shelfie Day

January 23 — National Handwriting Day (which coincides with John Hancock’s Birthday)

January 24 — “Just Do It” Day 

— International Day of Education 

— Talk Like a Grizzled Prospector Day 

January 25 — National Irish Coffee Day

January 26 — Toad Hollow Day of Encouragement 

January 27 — Better Business Communication Day 

— National Chocolate Cake Day

January 28 — Christa McAuliffe Day

  — National Plan for Vacation Day 

— Speak Up and Succeed Day

January 29 — Curmudgeons Day

— Freethinkers Day

January 30 — National Escape Day

January 31 — Backwards Day 

— Hell is Freezing Over Day

— Inspire Your Heart with the Arts Day

— Scotch Tape Day

What day especially intrigues you? 

What days will you check off and celebrate?

Write on!

Catherine E. McLean

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December 2025 - 12 Quotes to Ponder

 

For the past eleven months, this blog focused on writer-author quotes. So it seems only fitting to end the year with twelve  writing quotes. Enjoy or ponder  –  better yet, think and write, write, write! 

● The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt. – Sylvia Plath

● A true piece of writing is a dangerous thing, it can change your life. – Tobias Wolff

● Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing. – Benjamin Franklin

● You fail only if you stop writing. – Ray Bradbury

● A word after a word after a word is power. – Margaret Atwood

● Writing a book is a horrible, exhausting struggle, like a long bout of some painful illness. One would never undertake such a thing if one were not driven on by some demon whom one can neither resist nor understand. – George Orwell

● The writing process is very much like being in a dark tunnel, and you don't really know what you will end up with until you have created it. – Emilie Haines

● Writing is easy. All you have to do is cross out the wrong words. – Mark Twain

● Writing is a skill, not a talent, and this difference is important because a skill can be improved by practice. – Robert Stacy McCain

● You can't blame a writer for what the characters say. – Truman Capote

● Write a short story every week. It's not possible to write 52 bad short stories in a row. – Ray Bradbury 

● There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you. – Maya Angelou

If you have a favorite writing quote, please share it in the comments.

I wish you the Happies of Holidays! 

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11 November 2025 - Choices

"For any given idea, there exists a variety of technically and grammatically correct word combinations that can be used to communicate it. But each word combination alters the idea. It is the form the writer chooses, the words he picks out, that determines the content of his work, what he really says, and whether or not the writing works . . . Writing that works is also writing that assigns a job to every word in a sentence. Every word, every sentence, every paragraph must be doing some work or it should be fired." — Gary Provost -  MAKING YOUR WORDS WORK

I chose this long quote because it's important to pay attention to every word written. 

What a lot of writers don't realize is that every word has a precise meaning or imagery, or both. For example, hate is not the same thing as ire. Rage is not the same as pique. Boiling isn't the same thing as tepid.

In other words, there are many shades of meaning in-between.

When drafting a work, it's common to grab the first words that come to mind. In the revision phase, individual words should be scrutinized and more vivid or correct words swapped in.

No doubt about it—creating a story well written and well told depends on word choices. So, strive to get the words right. Your reader will appreciate it.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving.

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October 2025 - Is it okay?

 

Although I was aware of O.K. not being okay, it wasn't until I learned from an editor that O.K. and OK might be fine for a newspaper or newsletter column, but if when writing fiction, and especially in dialogue, spell it out as the word "okay". —William Zinsser 

Fads come and go and undergo mutations, so do acronyms. I was amazed to find O.K. first appeared in a 1839 Boston Morning Post. It's been around a very long time. The abbreviation, O.K., was used as an abbreviation for "oll korrect." 

It is also not surprising to me that such a little word aggravates readers and editors. After all, OK and O.K. jump off the page like buckshot in the eyes and draw undue attention to themselves. 

On the other hand, okay flows with the words in a sentence and doesn't bother the eyes.

I knew about the difference when I was a secretary. When taking dictation the shorthand OK went down but, in the boss's letter, it went in as "okay." 

When did you learn the difference between using the acronym OK or O.K. and spelling out the word "okay?"

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September 2025 - Are You Going?

 

Words are our most inexhaustible source of magic.                             — J. K. Rowling

The magic of words comes alive at a writer's conference.

When you attend a writer's conference, you'll gain clarity into what it is about writing that makes a story resonate with a reader. 

When you attend a writer's conference, you'll meet multi-published and award-winning authors who offer insights into the industry as well as the ups and downs, pros and cons, of becoming a selling author.

When you attend a writer's conference, you'll take home knowledge that will inspire, clarify techniques and devices of good storytelling, and network (meet fellow writers all on the same journey).

Make some magic for yourself and your writing by attending the one-day, Writer's Road Trip #13, in Erie PA.

Make your reservations today!

There's lots to learn - check out the speakers and workshops. I will be giving two workshops AND will be available as The Pitch Doctor.

What are you waiting for? Check it out -

https://pennwriters.org/writers_roadtrip

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August 2025 - 1 Million Words?

 

 “The first million words are just practice.” - David Gerrold 

A million words?

That's ten 100,000-word novels.

I won't go into how many shorter works it takes to get to that million words or how long it takes to write that many. 

But something else happens when you get to that million words. You write better, more economically, and tell a better story. 

Consider, too, that it takes those million words to gain a "voice"—that unique combination of words in a sequence that allows the reader to hear the writer's voice on the page or a particular character's or narrator's voice.

Have you reached your million words? 

Are you still struggling to get to that million?

Or have you set the writing aside because it's summer and you figure to get back to writing again after Labor Day?

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I'll be giving two workshops at this one-day writer's conference:

Please tell other writers about this great event 

Registration is open now. 

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2025 - July - Writing, A Life-long Endeavor

 

Being a writer—with all its successes and failures, raptures and rejections—is a life-long endeavor. Less a career choice than a calling, its rewards are often so private and ambiguous as to be unexpressible. – Dennis Palumbo Writing from the Inside Out 

Writing? A life-long endeavor? Are we talking womb to tomb?

Some might say it's a person's genetic predisposition to become a writer. Others say the writing ability sparked in early childhood from being read to by a parent or caregiver or being surrounded by books. 

Whatever the spark was, it took learning to read and then years of education to master the English language. Likely at some point, a love of words led to writing stories. 

But what about having a talent for writing? Unfortunately, talent takes one only so far. It is learning and honing the devices and techniques of the writing craft that enhances and liberates creativity. Mastering craft elements requires a stick-to-it-ness, a commitment to striving to become a really good writer—or storyteller or essayist or memoirist.

Writing and storytelling can be a life-long endeavor resulting in successful publication. Writing can also become the self-satisfaction of never publishing but knowing one writes well and tells a story well.

When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

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I'll be giving two workshops at this year's Writer's Road Trip #13, October 4, 2025, Zem Zem Shrine Club, Erie PA  www.pennwriters.org 

The workshops are:

A Fine-Tuned Engine: Learn the secrets, tips, and tricks to cutting words, tightening prose, and staying within word counts and page limits. This will be a hands-on session---bring 3 hard copy pages of a work in progress, double spaced, 1" margins all around, the widow-orphans feature turned off, and three highlighters (yellow, blue, and pink).

BACK TO THE GARAGE - Flashbacks, recalls, remembrances, and recollections. How not to stop the story's flow and still get in the necessary back-story elements.

And - 

THE PITCH DOCTOR WILL BE IN! Known in Pennwriters as The Pitch Doctor, I will be available to conference participants who want to practice or hone their pitches before going to their pitch appointments. 

REGISTRATION OPENS JULY 1ST. 

LUNCH IS INCLUDED IN THE FEE.

https://pennwriters.org/writers_roadtrip

Spread the word!

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2025 - June - Writing Habits

 The Law of Habit states that it is inevitable that you will be published if you cultivate good habits and break bad habits. —Elizabeth Lyons

Habits are established customs. Psychologically, and for writers, it means an automatic pattern of behavior that can be good or not so good when placing words on a page. For example— 

Procrastination is an undesirable habit. (The do it later syndrome.)

Writing every day is a good habit. (Word counts or pages are achieved.)

When it comes to procrastination, it's considered a deliberate act of finding or creating an excuse not to write.

Then there is Writer's Block. It comes in the form of the fear of a blank page or the fear of deadlines, either ones self-imposed or a publication's. Writer's Block can also be the fear of failure, telling one's self that the writing isn't good enough or perfect enough for publication so why complete a novel or submit something for publication?

And yet, cultivating the good habit of writing every day can be extremely difficult. Life intrudes— Jobs. Family. Kids. Pets. Holidays. Hobbies. Emergencies. Weather disasters—and a host of other issues take their toll on one's desire and ability to write that poem, that memoir, that essay, that short story, that novel, or that saga.

No one answer fits all situations.

Maybe it's all a matter of desire. As Brihadaranyaka Upanishad said, As your desire is, so is your will. So— 

What do you desire to achieve as a writer? 

Do you have the willpower to form good habits that will get you to that goal? 

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2025 - May - Prologues

 

This month's quote comes from Elmore Leonard— 

        Avoid prologues. They can be annoying, especially a prologue following an introduction that comes after a foreword. But these are ordinarily found in nonfiction. 

A prologue in a novel is backstory, and you can drop it in anywhere you want.

Did you know there are reasons why few how-to-write books mention prologues, why editors don't like them, and why readers skip over them? 

I'll bet when you look at a book for the first time, and it has a prologue, you flip over the prologue to get to the good stuff of the first word of the first line of the first chapter. Like you, readers want to meet an interesting character in an interesting situation.

And basically, prologues are ineffective because:  

A) the information in that prologue initially came to the writer as a message in disguise from the writer's imagination. That message was meant strictly for the writer to get the story underway. Often such information is about the story world, back history of a character, an important legend or curse, etc. 

B) again, the reader (and many editors) skip over a prologue to get to the good stuff which is Chapter 1, the beginning of the story and the introduction of the problem and the protagonist.

C) the information in a prologue often misleads the reader as to who the important characters are or what the actual theme or conflict of the story is.

D) having a prologue means extra work to create two effective hook openings, one for the prologue and one for the first chapter.

This will sound harsh, but— 

If anything in the prologue

is repeated somewhere in the story itself, 

ax that prologue. 

But you're thinking— What about the other stuff in the prologue that isn't repeated in the story, doesn't that mean the prologue stays?

Sorry.

No.

What's needed are better writing and storytelling skills coupled with good craft techniques and devices so the prologue information can be incorporated, that is, woven into the story.

After all, isn't the writer's goal to keep a reader enthralled and reading on?

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2025 April - Got Conflict?

 

The essence of story is conflict. — Donald Maass 

April 1st is April Fool's Day, but there is no fooling around when it comes to a story's conflict. 

Take the two ducklings above—two potential characters—but is there a story to be had? Technically, not yet because nothing substantial is happening between them or to them. 

Conflict is the missing ingredient in a character sketch and in a vignette (a slice of life). After all, a story is about an interesting protagonist (the central character) in an interesting setting, who is confronting or about to confront an interesting problem. That problem is the conflict.

There are three basic kinds of story conflict: mind-wrenching (psychological), heart-wrenching (emotional) or physically wrenching (physical danger). Conflicts range from the simple (like going on a job interview) to the complicated (like a gunfight at the OK Corral).

Take a moment now to look at the idea you're working on. What's the central conflict or the ultimate goal? Be honest. If what you've written is a character sketch or a vignette, consider what kind of conflict would turn the work into a story.

As to how much conflict should a writer put on the page or in a chapter, or in a book? At a Donald Maass workshop I attended a few years ago, Maass said there was no such a thing as too much conflict. I heartily agree.

Conflict is a problem to be solved. 

        Conflict is the essence of a story. 

        Conflict makes or breaks a tale.

Happy Easter, Happy Spring, Happy Writing!

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2025 March - A Writer Is . . .

 

What is a writer? 

Sol Stein defined a writer with just eight words. 

Over the years and in meeting writers from the novice to the award-winning, I've seen the proof of those eight words. And if I never publish or sell another work, I will still write because I cannot not write.

How about you?

Catherine E. McLean

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2025 February - A rose is a rose?

 

A Rose Is A Rose, Unless It's A Daisy

This year's monthly posts features a quote and February's is from author Silvie Kurtz, who wrote—  

The more concrete and specific your word choice is, the crisper the mind-images you will create for your reader, making her feel as if she's right there on the scene. 

If I say a flower, the image you get in your mind is vague and colorless. 

If I say a yellow rose, the image that pops is vivid and focused—and won't look anything like a daisy. 

Choose your words carefully to create image after image that will take your reader deep into your imaginary world, making it impossible for her to put the book down.

I wholeheartedly concur with Kurtz. Not only be specific with the setting details but also with the verbs that show action. It is not the passivity of he was standing in the corner but the vividness of he slouched in the corner the better to be ignored.

Consider too the degrees of an emotion. Does she really hate roses or does she loath them. As to hate, it runs the gamut from annoyed to blood raging murder. 

So, seek the correct word that will convey, and show, what is truly meant and your reader will stay engrossed in your story.

Wishing you all a Happy Valentine's Day,

Catherine E. McLean
www.catherineEmclean.com

And Happy Groundhog's Day!

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2025 - January - Be SMART

 

   Clarity trumps all rules. I coined that phrase way back in 2009, and it still holds true because if the writing or story isn't clear and understandable, whose fault is that? Definitely the writer's.

And, of course, following precise rules can actually muddle matters, particularly punctuation and grammar rules that easily destroy "voice"—be it the writer's, the story's narrator's, or characters'.

So, this year, I will feature a quote each month that I value in the hope that you find the words beneficial in your writing journey.

Take note—the quote that opened this post is not the January 2025 quote. The New Year is a time for setting goals and making resolutions. So, this month's quote ties in with the SMART concept of goal setting, which you can google. If you do, look for the images of SMART goal setting templates. However, this New Year's writing goals quote of mine is from Master Phillip Minton, Black Belt, 1996, The Way, a publication of ATA (American Taekwondo Assn.):

Achievement means:

Number One

Determine what you want out of life.

Number Two

Find somebody who's achieved it.

Number Three

Study and practice and make a plan from what you learned from them.

Number Four

Check your plan and constantly make sure you're taking action to achieve your plan.

Number Five

Enjoy yourself while you're doing it!

Be SMART - write with one or more writing goals in mind and —

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2024 - December - Holiday Wishes

 

This Christmas, I'll keep the post ultra simple — 

     What is on your writerly Christmas Wish List?

That is— What writer's tool, gizmo, electronic or other item would put a smile on your face if you were to find that particular gift under your Christmas Tree?

I wish you all the joys of the holidays,

Catherine E. McLean

www.CatherineEmclean.com
www.WritersCheatSheets.com

Jesus is 
the Reason 
for the Season

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2024 - November - Being Thankful

 

I'll keep this post short and specific— 

        This Thanksgiving, what are you, as a writer, thankful for?

Wishing you all the best with your writing.

Enjoy your Thanksgiving,

Catherine E. McLean

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2024 - October - A Prompt Challenge

 

Give your imagination a break from story writing.

Taking a time-out and doing a writing prompt can invigorate the subconscious. So this month, I challenge you to do one or both of the following writing prompts. Keep either under 100 words if possible. Any genre, any writing style. Think outside the box, but most of all, let yourself have some writing fun. 

6-Word Challenge Prompt - autumn, orange, gargantuan, burnt, muddle, bole (either the clay pigment or the wood of a tree)

Writing Challenge Prompt  - While walking in the park, you encounter a gnome, a witch, and a robot under a park bench. What happens next?

Let me know how your prompt turned out. 

Happy Autumn! Happy Writing!

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2024 - September - WRT#13

 

This month, I am not going to discuss a craft or industry topic but promote a very worthwhile Western Pennsylvania event for writers— 

The Writer's Road Trip is now in its twelfth year. 

It is an in-person, one-day writing conference held in Erie PA and is hosted by Area 1 Pennwriters, who are part of Pennwriters Inc. https://pennwriters.org/ (founded in 1988).

At this mini-conference, there will be three learning tracks. I will be giving two workshops, one on pitching to an editor/agent and one on the perplexities of paragraphing.

Rather than expound on why you should consider attending this conference, the event coordinators have already done that at their website —   https://www.writersroadtrip.com/ 

At their website, you'll also find the list of the conference speakers, the topics, and how to register for the event (lunch is included).

I hope to see you in Erie on Oct. 5. Oh, and if you come, look me up in the Hospitality Room and say hello.

P.S. — SPREAD THE WORD!  Permission is given to re-post and share this event on your social media and, especially, tell your fellow writers.  

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