In the re-writing process, do you ever come across a line or paragraph you'd written and forgotten, and think, "Damn, that's a solid piece of writing"? #Writing #WritingCommunity #Editing #Rewriting

When someone talks about "universals" in storytelling, I put it like this: food is food. But in cuisine, Thai is different from Cajun. Both uses spices but produce different flavors...and these cuisines aren't appreciated by everyone. So they're not universal. Same with writing. #WritingCommunity

George Bernard Shaw said the UK & the US are 2 nations separated by a common language. Brit & Irish pals tell me that what's on a baby's bottle is called a "teat." Only humans & other mammals have nipples. So a Yank asking in a shop, "Where are the nipples?" sounds like a creep. #WritingCommunity

A dilemma of #writing a #memoir after a certain age: certain pop culture references will miss certain readers. Example: younger readers might have no idea who Imelda Marcos was, or what a Louise Brooks hairstyle looks like. This is why you have to choose your audience. #WritingCommunity #writers

For decades, I could not write with music playing in the background...but now I must have something playing in the background. Have anyone else's #writing quirks changed over the years? #WritingCommunity #writers

#WritingCommunity #dilemma #BlackSky

Please post something you read at an age far too young...that may have informed your writing more than you'd like to admit. #WritingCommunity #writers #amwriting #guiltypleasure

I just saw a video with AI-generated subtitles. The audio said "influencer" while the subtitle read "influenza". Brilliant. #WritingCommunity #writing #writers #AI

Between boycotting CBS/Paramount over Colbert and now ABC/Disney over Kimmel, it seems like a good time to read more books…bought from independent booksellers, of course. #WritingCommunity #reading #amwriting #boycott #writer #books

What book or author did you read at entirely too young an age...and today you side-eye your parents for their negligence? #WritingCommunity #writing #reading

On my list of freaky lyrics that I never thought about - Spice Girls' "Wannabe": "If you wanna be my lover, you gotta get with my friends." I have NEVER made that a requirement in past romances. #WritingCommunity #lyrics #writing

Watching Cardi B on the witness stand, I can't help but think of Marisa Tomei in "My Cousin Vinny." Cardi needs to do a remake... #BlackSky

The search for a new James Bond continues. But what original author Ian Fleming created was a product of an era far more sexist, racist, and imperialist. So he's been updated. As a writer, would you like your characters continue as IP for new adaptations beyond your lifetime? #WritingCommunity

Confession that might get my Black card taken: I'm OK not being invited to the cookout. As an introvert who doesn't drink, I'm good for an hour if a card game is going. After that, folks are tipsy and I'm getting my plate to-go. #BlackSky

What film's plot have you always had a problem with? For me, it was the 90s movie about the pig 🐖 “Babe." I was like, "Why is this pig helping the farmer? Don't pig know that farmer eats pig's people? Pig 🐷 is a Sellout!" #WritingCommunity #writing #film #plot

What would you entitle you #autobiography? #WritingCommunity #writing #amwriting

#Netflix is diabolical. I'm watching a tell-all documentary about "The Biggest Loser" - which is interrupted by a commercial for Hostess Twinkies and Ding Dongs. #WritingCommunity

#WritingCommunity #writing #agents #authors

In translating languages, you're often re-writing text as many concepts don't translate literally. Example: the Dutch equivalent for the insult "a55hole" is actually their word for scrotum. What foreign word/phrase you know has a strange literal translation in English? #WritingCommunity #writing

I've just seen a recent full-body photo of Dean Cain. It took 30 years, but I can now say I finally have a better body than Superman. #WritingCommunity #writing #amwriting

Weird thing about my New York writer pals: they assume NYC is the center of the universe. So in stories they write taking place in NYC, they neglect to let the reader know they're in NYC even when that would be useful information. Get out more, New Yorkers! #WritingCommunity #writing #amwriting

Time away from a piece can be as crucial as the time you've spent writing it. Largely because "darlings" you couldn't kill a year ago can age so poorly that it's easier to put them out of your misery. #WritingCommunity #writing #amwriting

What are the two greatest compliments a reader can give your work? #WritingCommunity #writing #amwriting

Because #writers are supposed to be good with words & use them well, One of the biggest challenges is making characters not sound more articulate & educated than they're supposed to be. Even if a character's "educated," there's often tension between speech & motivation. #WritingCommunity #writing

I laugh when young'uns think saying someone was "born in the 1900s" is a diss. I'm like, "Baby, that's a privilege. May you live to see two centuries. Because I'm on my second millennium." #Aging #WritingCommunity #writing #inspiration

So many of my fellow #writers are obsessed with their #legacy and their name living on beyond their death. So I pose the question: would you rather your name die out...or live on with AI remixing your work and style so that future generations keep reading "your" work? #WritingCommunity #writing

2nd rejection received today to my memoir #query. Barbara Walters once said all the successful people she'd interviewed had 2 things in common: their steadfastness in the face of rejection and belief they'd ultimately succeed. So I sent out another 3 queries. #WritingCommunity #writing #agents

First thing I'd do if I got a million-dollar book deal: before telling any of my loved ones, I’d ask each to lend me $200. Those who do would get a cut of my fortune. Those who don't? They get a postcard from my mansion in the south of Spain. #WritingCommunity #money #BookAdvance

I've just received the best compliment from a member of my writing group. I was called "direct but kind" in my critiques. Like a choir director cringing when someone sings off-key, I hurt at bad writing. So it's nice to know that I'm not a jerk in delivering comments. #WritingCommunity #writing

As "that guy" at parties who raises a finger during conversations and says, "But actually...", I witnessed two other "But actually..." dudes goin' at each other with facts during last writing group. Pure Comedy Gold. #WritingCommunity #writers #writing