Author: Melyssa Williams (page 10 of 12)

How to Write a Book Club Pick

Having your novel chosen by a book club is a novelist’s dream.

Think of the conversations it will start concerning your carefully placed words, how many paperback copies will be purchased, how it will be passed around the group, dog-eared, and debated.

You simply cannot buy that kind of dedicated audience.

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Homeschooling Is Great (Except for the Teaching Part)

The hardest part about home educating differs from mom to mom.

Some thrive on organization but struggle with flexibility. Some worry about teaching subjects they are not proficient in.

Others can’t get a good flow going because of teaching too many grades at once and find it hard to settle into a groove.

A few have unsupportive friends or families and therein lies the rub. No one (despite their Facebook status or blog entries) has smooth sailing everyday, where they leap out of bed, dress the mice in mobcaps and aprons, sing to the canaries, make a wholesome breakfast, hear compliments from their obedient offspring all day about how wondrous their mothering is, plan amazing lessons plans, serve a fabulous dinner in a stylish outfit, and give her Prince Charming a foot rub.

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Cheapskate Homeschool Mommy & the $15 Craigslist Dresser

When you’re a Mommy, you learn to save money. And when you’re a Homeschool Mommy, you really, really learn to save money.

I have saving pennies down to an art form (though that makes me sound like I have oodles of it in my bank account, and I don’t want to mislead you: there’s nothing in there but spider webs, crickets, tumbleweeds, and $11).

One handy dandy cheapskate tip that I like to use is a little known secret called craigslist. Oh, you’ve heard of it? Well, I bet you haven’t risked your life and limb for it like I have … Read more

How To Write A Killer Plot Twist

With the exception of few weirdos, readers love a great plot twist. When executed well, the perfect plot twist turns an okay read into an unforgettable one.

Let’s analyze what makes a plot twist work, what doesn’t, and how to include a killer twist in your own book.

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Romantic Comedy, A Short Story in Three Parts {Part 3}

PART THREE

The receptionist at his office.

Zane turned to look and in doing so, he released Hailey’s hand and knocked over his beverage. He didn’t even react to the cold liquid splashing on his suit. He stood on shaky legs, watching the woman in the doorway. Hailey felt a sudden and familiar stinging in her eyes and a small tear escaped; it ran unhindered down her cheek, glistening and shining in the lighting of the restaurant. The tear slithered slowly until it formed a tiny, perfect droplet and then disappeared, evaporated into her thirsty skin.  Read more

Romantic Comedy, A Short Story in Three Parts {Part 2}

PART TWO

“I’ll just have a salad,” Hailey said, demurely. The words were rote. They would have escaped her lips in spite of herself; she’d said them so many times in her life. The waiter left. “We need to talk about what exactly?” Her tone altered into something more aggressive as she turned her attention back to Zane, this man she called her husband. Read more

Homeschooling in the ’80s

I was homeschooled Back In The Day.

The days of the ‘80s and early ‘90s. When Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston ruled the charts, My Little Ponies were brand new, we pegged our acid wash jeans, even the manliest men wore short shorts and mesh crop tops, and the internet hadn’t been invented yet.

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