Keep on Learning

That’s what the professionals do.

As I listened to an Evergreen Jazz festival performance by two top clarinet players, I glanced around the audience. One row in front, observing every nuance, sat Clark Burnside, the veteran clarinetist for another band at the festival.

That scene repeated itself throughout the weekend: one master of the craft listening and learning from another.
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Manuscript Format Gaffes

Make sure your submission is dressed for success.

Once glance at the manuscript told me the author was at best a hobbyist—not serious about the craft of professional writing.

All that without reading one word of his novel.

Even if the story were great, any literary agent or acquisitions editor would begin an evaluation having already counted several strikes against it.

A quick … Continue reading

Snowblowers, Sunscreen, and Saucepans

Don’t write just for today’s readers.

At a recent garage sale, I bought a much-needed tube of sunscreen—and also a snowblower.

I used one immediately. I’ll need the other next winter—on a day with no need for sunscreen.

That kind of thinking also applies to publishing.

If you’re writing for a newspaper, you’re safe to cite examples from the events of this … Continue reading