Category Archives: Inspiration

Writing a Novel? Leonard Tells All…

By Leonard Bishop (Ed.  This was part of a series Mr. Bishop wrote in 1985, “…for people who are interested in writing a novel but who have felt too inadequate to begin.”  The advice rings true today!  His other pieces … Continue reading

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Because I Have Something to Say! (Repost)

Because I Have Something to Say! Posted on January 13, 2013 by Catherine Hedge He dared us to write well! By Catherine Hedge Anyone who uses the phrase, “indomitable”  must have met my writing mentor, the late Leonard Bishop.  He grew … Continue reading

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Thankful for Words of Wisdom, Part 2

By Catherine Hedge I used to shake my head at some of  Leonard Bishop’s teachings.  He’d harrangue us with writing advice.  His voice would bellow with authority…insistent, commanding, and frightening! Frightening because he said it with such force, I figured … Continue reading

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Thankful for Words of Wisdom

(There are several writing groups around the country who began with Leonard Bishop.  Each of us writers and dreamers are thankful to him every time we sit down to our desks, or curl in front of a fire to “percolate” … Continue reading

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You Can Quote Me

by Leonard Bishop When I am in my studio, I am compassed about with four walls solidly shelved with books. Tacked onto the shelves are particular quotations by people whose insight and wisdom have touched me deeply. When I’m researching … Continue reading

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Men Will Be Boys

by Leonard Bishop, Author of Dare to Be a Great Writer It was a good day in both our lives. A day separated from the world of calamity and fright–from decisions and moralities. There was only Luke and me–a nine-year-old … Continue reading

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You Can’t Take Back Yesterday

by Leonard Bishop There is no comfort in carrying around long-held regrets for expectations and goals that were never fulfilled. Regrets are like all-season mosquitoes that sting you into the recall of what you once might have done. Most of … Continue reading

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A Pair of Persistent Threats

by Leonard Bishop There are two persistent threats that intimidate all inexperienced writers who want to write novels. And unless they avoid those threats, they will never write their novels. When I was instructing at the University of California, in … Continue reading

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The Writer’s Life: A Social Vacuum

by Leonard Bishop Don’t quit your present employer to become a professional writer until you have learned how to be alone. It is not the lack of talent or skill that stops someone from succeeding as a professional writer. Talent … Continue reading

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Write a Novel? Invent Life

by Leonard Bishop Let’s get to the plot-line. A plot-line is the razzle-dazzle and suspense of the story. Here are some exaggerated examples to use as a guide. If you are writing a first-person novel (telling the story of what … Continue reading

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