When writing stories of 750 words or fewer, the writer must successfully employ the skills of compression and concision. Compression mandates economy of words, the squeezing together of story line, beginning, middle, end, story arc, number of characters, dialogue and time frame. Tightness in writing and meaningful word choice offer … Read More
In order for you as a reviewer to critique your pod mates’ writing and be genuinely helpful to them, you need to acknowledge that the purpose of your critique is to help them become better writers. Destructive criticism has no place in that goal. But neither does a whitewash job of reviewing. … Read More
Who are these pompous pedants who preach what a writer should and should not do? They forbid one to start with a question. But I already did and I’m glad. And they say don’t begin a sentence with “but” or “and.” But I’m doing both. And I’m even more glad. … Read More
In an effective critique pod, every person in the small group comments on the other members’ work. That can seem overwhelming to a new writer. Even experienced journalists, I’ve learned to my amazement, can feel unqualified to criticize someone else’s writing, but an English major isn’t required. WAG’s pods are … Read More