Hook Middle-Grade Readers From Your First Page

Hook Middle-Grade Readers From Your First Page

Hey there, anglers. Imagine luring in your middle-grade readers from the get-go. I’m serious. You can do this.  Today, we will dive into techniques that will captivate your young readers right from your first page. We all know too well that the opening page of your book is super important, and it’s especially crucial when… Read more »

How to Write an Essay: Tea with VODKA

How to Write an Essay: Tea with VODKA

I read essays with a cup of tea in one hand and a cream scone in the other. Ask me to write an essay, however, and my inner perfectionist (aka Ms. Prickleberry) balks, crosses her arms, and refuses to move words from my head to the page. I coax, plead, beg. She won’t budge until… Read more »

Times When Commas Have Been Critical

Times When Commas Have Been Critical

It may appear to be a tiny little mark, barely bigger than a period. YET, the usage or omission of a comma can make a huge difference in your meaning and maybe even your wallet. Let’s take a look at three times when a comma could have or did change the course of history. Tariff… Read more »

From Songs, A World Was Born

From Songs, A World Was Born

In Professor Tolkien’s The Silmarillion, The “Ainulindalë” or “Music of the Ainur” tells of the creation of the Universe. telling how the Ainur or “holy ones”, a class of angelic beings, perform songs and great music of Middle-earth prefiguring the creation of the material universe, Eä, including Middle-Earth. I don’t know if this ever crossed… Read more »

What the Cauldron Cooked Up

What the Cauldron Cooked Up

Over the course of 2023 our critique group wrote this series of articles together as a Google docs adventure. We necessarily reminisced a lot, and we’ve grown closer in the process – even as we surprised ourselves with some uncomfortable realizations about what hasn’t worked in the “cauldron.”  In our last article, we explored the… Read more »

An Easy Technique to Make Your Writing Sparkle

An Easy Technique to Make Your Writing Sparkle

Sam heard a faint tapping at the window as he was grading essays. He watched the red pen in his hand stop. He couldn’t believe the heavy rain had already started. He realized he had been working for three solid hours. He had watched the morning news earlier in the day that said the storms wouldn’t come in until late afternoon.
With a sigh, he pinched the bridge of his nose to stop the ache he felt behind his eyes. He decided to get another cup of coffee from the kitchen.
He looked around the small three-foot-by-three-foot space and realized all the coffee cups he owned were in the porcelain kitchen sink. It seemed he’d have to wash one. That was when he noticed the small footprints on the counter where he’d spilled flour the night before.
He wondered if the tiny people were back.

Speculating for a Better Future: Allure of Utopian Worlds

Speculating for a Better Future: Allure of Utopian Worlds

Welcome, beautiful people on the internet! We are at the final stop of Worldly Wise today, tracing the footsteps of various subgenres in the realm of Speculative Fiction. Unfortunately, we had only been able to cover Dystopian Fiction. But keeping my promise, today we will look into the key elements that you must include in… Read more »

Writing A Series Is Like Creating a RPG Campaign

Writing A Series Is Like Creating a RPG Campaign

How is Building a Game World like World Building for Writing? When I was introduced to RPG (Role Playing Gaming), it was 1977, and the concept was relatively new. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson had invented Dungeons and Dragons a few years before (1974) and a friend of mine who was a dedicated gamer introduced… Read more »

Unlocking the Recipe for Dystopian Fiction

Unlocking the Recipe for Dystopian Fiction

Welcome, beautiful people on the internet! As promised in the last column of Worldly Wise, we are continuing to trace the footsteps of various subgenres in the realm of Speculative Fiction. And here is our first stop. Whether it is George Orwell’s “1984” or Suzanne Collins’ “The Hunger Games” trilogy, or even Margaret Atwood’s “The… Read more »