DAN ALATORRE

Cathleen Townsend did one of the best interviews with me I think I’ve ever read. It’s a good lesson for those of you who need to do interviews – which is all of you – on how to do them. Most of the interviews we author types get to do will be written. That’s our […]

Well, short stories build writer muscles. Writing short stories forces you to get the story up and running quickly, thereby grabbing your reader’s attention. Short stories that get published in an anthology are a great way to get your name out there and start building a following while you finish your novel. Ditto for a […]

A fun, brief profile of me at Linda’s blog. Check it out! What: What do I do? Good question. My wife wants to know, too. She sees me at the computer for hours and hours, but it takes a long time for a book to be produced, so she’s certain I’ve got an online gambling […]

Having trouble getting started on a space fantasy? Try one of the images throughout this post as your inspiration. (They are repeated in a list at the end.) The Space Fantasy idea is just one genre you can use for the 1000 Word Story Sprint. You are NOT limited to that today, but it’s gonna […]

There are two goals to a 1000 Word Sprint Contest. You will be creating a short story or story segment, sure, but also something else. The first goal is: Get your story up and running as quickly as possible. The 1000 word limit will force you to be thrifty with your verbiage. The second goal is […]

Can I say thank you again?   I was just tallying the views on our recent Word Weaver Writing Contest, and we have had nearly 3,000 views on the blog during the announcement of the winning stories From Sunday April 22, when I announced the winners, until the final profiles ran on the Honorable Mentions […]

* * * * * ANNOUNCING * * * * * The Word Weaver 1000 Word SPRINT * * * * * Writing Contest * * * * * with over $300 in prizes! Catch you by surprise, did I? Our next full-fledged Word Weaver Writing Contest will be in July, and will have a […]

What goes on inside the writerly mind? Let’s sit down with our Word Weaver Writing Contest Honorable Mention winners, Laura Holian and Dabney Farmer, and find out. Laura Holian Born and raised in South Texas, Laura Holian had the unique privilege of growing up in an area rich with the convergence of two cultures.  Surrounded […]

It is my pleasure to present to you the second of two Honorable Mention winners from the March 2018 Word Weaver Writing Contest, “Autistic Girl and the Killer Lawn Gnome” by Dabney Farmer. And by now you know me well enough that a title like that probably means some humor awaits inside the story, which […]