Tag Archives: American writers

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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“……and the truth is not always cruel”

Originally posted on Leonard Bishop:
  A Beautiful Reminder of Christmas! Thank you, Leonard! by Leonard Bishop Leonard Bishop My son, Luke, asked me, “Dad, is there a Santa Claus?”  I sat fixed in a painful decision. Five-year-old children must…

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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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I Will Not Be Had

by Leonard Bishop   Once I received a phone call from an editor on the staff of the writer’s Digest books. They were publishing my first non-fiction book on the craft of writing Dare to be a Great Writer. The … Continue reading

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Writers Beware of Editors

by Leonard Bishop Writers do not get their novels published by writing for people. Long before the public reads what is written, it must be passed through the stratified structure of book-publishing editors. Writers should not struggle to understand the … Continue reading

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We Always Do Our Best

by Leonard Bishop I can understand why people who write newspaper columns get tired of their usual readers and hope to gain others. Persistent readers take the columnist too seriously. They begin to believe they know the writer and thus … Continue reading

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Modesty: Bah, Humbug!

by Leonard Bishop When you finish reading this paragraph you will be convinced that I am one of the few absolutely nice guys you have ever read about. For long time now I have wondered why people like me. Although … Continue reading

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Writers Need Each Other

by Leonard Bishop, Author of Dare to Be a Great Writer Many writers are shriveling. They are alone, and isolated from each other. No one really cares if they are ever published and many of their families wish they would … Continue reading

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Learning to Write Dialogue

by Leonard Bishop One of the most important devices a writer uses is dialogue. Writing a novel without a plentiful amount of dialogue is like trying to create a gourmet omelet with yokeless eggs. To the reader, dialogue is just … Continue reading

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