OWL writers doing their thing.

Posts by Marie Dees

Do you post your work on writing site...

If so, have you found and read their “terms of service.” Not the helpful FAQs they might have, but the down and dirty TOS in all its legal glory.  One writing site I that was recently recommended to me as a “safe” place to post my work says this: However, with respect to Content you […]

Indicating thoughts in fiction manusc...

I can always tell the fantasy writers on any critique site because they leave me little notes that I need to put the thoughts in my stories in italics. The use of italics to indicate direct thoughts has become popular and is one option available to writers. But it isn’t the only correct way to […]

What is Point of View (POV)

Point of view (POV) is simply a term to describe who is telling the reader the story and from what perspective.  There are plenty of resources out there to help with POV because it is an essential technique to understand when writing fiction.  Some go into great detail and divide and sub-divide POVs based on […]

Writing Rituals and Writing Places

We all know writers who seem to want to mystify writing by claiming that special rituals are places are needed before they can write.  I remember a young lady who posted that she absolutely could not work on her novel until she made a specific brand of tea in a special clay teapot imported from […]

Should I Get a Degree in Creative Wri...

As writers we always seek to improve our writing and a question that often comes up is – should I get a degree in creative writing? Since I actually hold an MA in Creative Writing, I often find myself answering this question. But to answer it, I have to address the reasons people might want […]

FAQ – Using a pen name

The use of pen names is a question that frequently comes up in writing groups and on writing sites. I’ve seen writers make the answers far more complex than they need to be.  So, here I’ll try to address the basics. Do I need to use a pen name? No, many authors publish under their own name.  In […]