WRITER’S MAGIC By Deborah Elliott-Upton There’s something magical about water, whether it be a lake, ocean or even a bathtub. Today it’s the swimming pool. We christened it for the season after what seemed like endless days of waiting for the pool cleaner to come and the chemicals to subside, all the while the temperatures […]

BEING DIFFERENT by Deborah Elliott-Upton I love writing exercises, especially the “what if” questions. At the Frontiers in Writing conference this past weekend, I attended Melanie Rigney’s “Creative Corner” sessions. I had no idea what the workshop would involve, but I love Melanie’s free spirit mingled with her sharp editor’s mind. As Melanie’s conference host, […]

LOOKING THE PART by Deborah Elliott-Upton “You don’t look like a writer,” the man said, taking another sip of the scotch. “Let me guess. Romance?” he asked. His salesman smile revealed very white, perfectly sculpted teeth. I shook my head. “Children’s books ?” he offered. “No.” I sipped the pinot grigio, noticing he wasn’t deterred […]

A CONFESSION by Deborah Elliott-Upton My husband already knows, but I have had a long-standing affair with another man. I admit to thinking about him at all times of the day and night, finding secret times I could spend with him uninterrupted, and I never tire of his voice and stories. I fell in love […]

THINKING LIKE A WRITER by Deborah Elliott-Upton High above the clear water of Lake Tahoe, the blue sky echoed the startling hue making both appear infinite. Evergreens packed the surrounding landscape like sardines in a tin. My brother-in-law, Charlie, had boned up on the history of the area and knew the lake’s depth and when […]

MARKETING 101 by Deborah Elliott-Upton Like most readers, I had no idea how tough it was to become a published writer. I had never given much thought to what happens after a story had been written, but before it shows up in print. When I finished my first novel and I mentioned it to my […]

TAKE A SEAT by Deborah Elliott-Upton In my “Writing & Marketing the Short Story” classes at the local college, I could tell who would be the best writers from the moment they chose a seat. At first, I thought it was a fluke when the students who would write the most interesting stories chose to […]