PROFESSIONAL TIPS – Elmore Leonard by Leigh Lundin Today I’m going to save you fifteen bucks, or ten bucks, or fifty. That’s the price of the great Elmore Leonard‘s 10 Rules of Writing, hardcover, Kindle, and hardcover deluxe, respectively. What you won’t get in today’s column are Joe Ciardiello‘s illustrations that come with the signed, numbered, […]

OPEN UP — IT’S THE GRAMMAR POLICE by John M. Floyd A couple of years ago I saw an interesting list in a writing magazine. I can’t recall which magazine it was or who wrote the piece, but since I remember most of the items in the list I don’t think I dreamed it — […]

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY by Steve Steinbock Two years! Wow, had it not been for Rob’s celebratory, tag-clouded column on Wednesday, the second birthday of Criminal Brief would have gone right by. Happy Anniversary, everyone. And thanks to all who congratulated me on my first fiction sale. I’ll keep everyone updated as I learn more about the […]

FACEBOOK ’EM, DANNO by Deborah Elliott-Upton I have friends. Or at least I’m told I do on facebook.com My virtually-minded friends said, “Everyone is doing it,” and although Mom always said I didn’t need to do what everyone else was doing, I joined. Just as I became one of the Facebook group, the Facebook group […]

THE ANNUAL REVIEW by Rob Lopresti Relax. It’s not your annual review. It’s mine. Besides, I’m sure yours will go just fine. Hardly anyone noticed what you did at the office party. Really. But this week marks two full years since James Lincoln Warren first gathered his small but intrepid band around him in the […]

TOO BIG TO FAIL by Melodie Johnson Howe While contemplating these iffy economic times I had a glorious revelation. I sauntered into my husband’s office to share it with him. He was busy cutting the Wall Street Journal into paper dolls. He looked up at me. His hair was unduly ruffled and his glasses were […]

CARPE DIEM by James Lincoln Warren I’m always amused whenever I see a tee-shirt or a coffee mug emblazoned with the motto, Carpe Diem. This is usually translated as, “Seize the day”, although a more literal translation is to “Pluck (off) the day”, as in pulling an apple off a tree. (“Seize” will do, however.) […]