Profanity, the “Real” World, and the Author’s Responsibility
One of my online writing communities had an in-depth discussion a while
November 4, 2015
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Discover the journey, tips, and ideas from Claudia Yeoh’s writing desk.
One of my online writing communities had an in-depth discussion a while
This year I’ve been volunteering with the Women’s Fiction Writers Association as
The bells of St. Brigit’s are calling tonight, winging over the
The facts? The facts are these: I am wholly ordinary. Black hair,
They say you can tell a lot about a baby in the
It began on a magical night beside the river Thames… or so
“What d’you wanna be when you grow up?” asked Steve. “What kinda
The trail map claimed it was only fifteen feet’s worth of elevation
They called him Elder, because his eyes looked old although his face
There’s been a snag in the blog tour plans for This Little
A bit of fantasy for your Wednesday morning, inspired by this picture
Those two words are Write At the Merge’s prompt for this week.
Carlo was waiting at the ninth hole with his business partner and
In the moment before the first shot was fired, Clarissa’s entire life
Just before dawn, Matthew wakes abruptly from a nightmare. Shivering, he looks
This is an excerpt from the novel I’ve been querying…slightly condensed to
“Hey, Jenny!” My little brother’s voice pokes through my hazy brain as
“It must have something to do with the Aztecs,” said Matt. I
At every wedding I’ve ever attended, when the minister gets to the
This week, Write On Edge asked us to explore locale–local flavor that
The first time Ned laid eyes on Zin, the sight hit him
In retrospect, I should have handled things differently. David came home from
___1___ I’m combining posts tonight, so I begin with ~100 words of
Last week I introduced you to Patrick. He’s one of the major
The moment Patrick opened the door, heat punched him in the chest,
Those damn yellow shoes. Zin massaged her ankle as she watched Ned
His crossed arms answered her question before he spoke. “I’m sorry,” he
Was that her? The image reflected in the window of a real
The convertible sped at breakneck speed along winding roads wreathed with green.
It was a rainy night in Dusseldorf, but not nearly as stormy
I’m dancing with the prince when the text message comes in, but
Image via Wikipedia People are better once they’re dead. The sun beats
Today’s prompt for Red Writing Hood was to write a conversation that
Hope you’ll enjoy hearing a bit more about Alison and Carlo…. *
Today’s excerpt, a description, comes from my WIP, the story of a
Today’s “Red Writing Hood” fiction prompt was to write a scene based
I talk often enough about being a fiction writer, but with the
One of my online writing communities had an in-depth discussion a while back about profanity and its place (or lack thereof) in literature. I got to thinking,
This year I’ve been volunteering with the Women’s Fiction Writers Association as a host for the “women’s fiction cafe,” which is done on Facebook. Instead
The bells of St. Brigit’s are calling tonight, winging over the snow and alighting on my windowsill. All day I have been imprisoned by
The facts? The facts are these: I am wholly ordinary. Black hair, caramel skin, no extraordinary features, no super powers, although I’ve gotten pretty good
They say you can tell a lot about a baby in the womb. I knew this was true before you came along, little man, but
It began on a magical night beside the river Thames… or so my mother tells me. There was a twenty-car pileup and my parents were
“What d’you wanna be when you grow up?” asked Steve. “What kinda question is that?” responded Malachi. “I’m gonna be a machinist like my dad.
The trail map claimed it was only fifteen feet’s worth of elevation change from the parking lot to Copeland Falls, but it sure felt like
They called him Elder, because his eyes looked old although his face looked young. Alana had found him, all those months ago, face down in
There’s been a snag in the blog tour plans for This Little Light of Mine, so I thought I’d take the opportunity to post a
A bit of fantasy for your Wednesday morning, inspired by this picture (no really, click it open)…. * The moment Clarissa saw the forest, she
Those two words are Write At the Merge’s prompt for this week. For a change I knew exactly where I wanted to take this one:
Carlo was waiting at the ninth hole with his business partner and his parish priest when a boy came out from the clubhouse with a
In the moment before the first shot was fired, Clarissa’s entire life passed before her. The present and past and future fused into an image
Just before dawn, Matthew wakes abruptly from a nightmare. Shivering, he looks at the boy huddled beside him for fleeting warmth. His son’s hair is
This is an excerpt from the novel I’ve been querying…slightly condensed to fit the word count. Dean is falling in love with Beth and her
“Hey, Jenny!” My little brother’s voice pokes through my hazy brain as I try to figure out what propensity and vouch mean, and what in
“It must have something to do with the Aztecs,” said Matt. I glanced over at Jude, who was staring at the words on his laptop
At every wedding I’ve ever attended, when the minister gets to the part where he says, “Speak now or forever hold your peace,” I’ve always
This week, Write On Edge asked us to explore locale–local flavor that adds realism to fiction. Today I’m borrowing from my completed, but so far unloved
The first time Ned laid eyes on Zin, the sight hit him like a tsunami–stole his breath, laid his soul flat on the floor of
In retrospect, I should have handled things differently. David came home from his Toledo run last night, his face bleached white with jealousy. “What’s this?”
___1___ I’m combining posts tonight, so I begin with ~100 words of fiction. This week over at Write On Edge we were assigned the task
Last week I introduced you to Patrick. He’s one of the major characters in my WIP, but the book is in another person’s point of
The moment Patrick opened the door, heat punched him in the chest, so heavy with moisture he had to lean on the car to withstand
Those damn yellow shoes. Zin massaged her ankle as she watched Ned disappear into the gloom of overhanging oak with the rest of the party.
His crossed arms answered her question before he spoke. “I’m sorry,” he said. “There’s nothing more we can do.” Molly placed her hands palm down
Was that her? The image reflected in the window of a real estate office arrested Alison’s forward motion abruptly, and two young honeymooners ploughed right
The convertible sped at breakneck speed along winding roads wreathed with green. Nicole closed her eyes against a wave of vertigo as the car listed
It was a rainy night in Dusseldorf, but not nearly as stormy as the hotel room Tomas left behind. He pushed past the doorman, ignoring
I’m dancing with the prince when the text message comes in, but I don’t realize it till he’s bent over my hand and helped me
Image via Wikipedia People are better once they’re dead. The sun beats down, melting the sweat out of the man. He pauses, shoves the blade
Today’s prompt for Red Writing Hood was to write a conversation that shows us the relationship between two characters–in 300 words. I figured out my
Hope you’ll enjoy hearing a bit more about Alison and Carlo…. * (Photo credit: KennethMoyle, via Flickr) Eight o’clock has always been the magic hour.
Today’s excerpt, a description, comes from my WIP, the story of a woman who marries into a fairy tale, only to have it splinter around
Today’s “Red Writing Hood” fiction prompt was to write a scene based on a picture. I was going to include the picture, but it turns
I talk often enough about being a fiction writer, but with the rare exception, I don’t give you any fiction to read. Fiction is my
I’m preparing for a major revamp of my author site, and I’m not sure what’s going to happen to this blog as part of that.
It’s the 4th of July, and I am in the middle of the confluence of playing for our local professional orchestra’s summer festival, preparing for
One perk of being a published author is how many other authors I get to “meet.” We all hear about the big, flashy books by
Hi, all! Long time, no see. I’m stretched pretty thin these days with a college kid, two over-involved high schoolers, and a middle schooler, plus
Environmental stewardship and climate have long been high, high priorities for me. That is because of my Christian faith and because nature is where I
One perk of being a published author is how many other authors I get to “meet.” We all hear about the big, flashy books by
I was late to the Nicole Baart party. When I read my first of her books, I was gobsmacked. “How have I never come across
OK, I will admit it: I am fascinated with the British royal family. Not nearly as much as some–I never watched the weddings, for instance,
“Wicked” is a cultural phenomenon, and with a few exceptions (Marvel, Star Wars, Harry Potter), I am terrible at keeping up with cultural phenomena. I
Today (Feb. 27, 2023) only: A SONG FOR THE ROAD is on Kindle sale for $1.99! (Hint: Feel free to share this post. 😉 )
I have loved the Anne and Emily books since the first time I read them, but it took me until now to read this late
In the spirit of the holidays I wanted to share some really good things–books and not-books–that I have discovered in the past year or so.