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Writing Tip by Leonard Bishop
A good story is like a motorcycle. All the parts move together and move forward. (7-8-99)
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Tag Archives: American writers
“……and the truth is not always cruel”
A Beautiful Reminder of Christmas! Thank you, Leonard! by 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 have a sense of fantasy and fable. … Continue reading
One Novel In The Life of a Writer’s Desk
by Leonard Bishop About 20 years ago, Boston University approached me with an offer to establish a “Leonard Bishop collection.” It would be placed among the other writers, artists, stage and screen performers they considered distinguished enough to be exhibited. … Continue reading
Posted in humor, publishing, slice of life, Writing, Writing Techniques
Tagged American Novelist, American writers, Beat Writers, best American novelists, Dare to Be A Great Writer, effective scenes, Leonard Bishop, taking risks in writing, The Leonard Bishop Collection, the writing process, writing a novel, writing inspiration, writing technique
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“Open Your Life,” He Says, “It Can’t Hurt You.”
by Leonard Bishop When I was 50 years old I began feeling happy, and this immediately upset me. I could handle sorrow, depression, morbidity, anger–but happiness was a shock of confusion. It wasn’t “me.” If I wasn’t brooding, I didn’t … Continue reading
Teenage Daughter Adds A New Dimension
By Leonard Bishop I have a teenage daughter and we are in a generation gap. At 16 she has outgrown rainbow stickers and unicorns and is obsessed on furs and Ferraris. She is everywhere in the house, all at … Continue reading
Writers, Farmers: Two of a Kind
By Leonard Bishop I see the splendor of wheat fields sprawled throughout Kansas and I am stunned with wonder. I drive along the flat roads between cities and the green crops flow like an ocean beginning to fill … Continue reading
You Can’t Always Get What You Want
By Leonard Bishop Have I been cursed by moving to Kansas –or blessed? Last year I had decided to stop writing “artistic” novels that penetrate the core of life and peel naked the soul; I wanted to … Continue reading
When You Know You’ve Finally Made It
By Leonard Bishop, Author of Dare To Be A Great Writer I dislike “name droppers” unless it’s my name they’re dropping. Early in my career as a writer I achieved that status. Everyone, in any profession, wants his/her name … Continue reading
Posted in humor, slice of life, Writing
Tagged American Novelist, American writers, Beat Writers, best American novelists, Catch 22, Dare to Be A Great Writer, Erskine Caldwell, Frank Yerby, George Mandel, Henry Cabot Lodge, James Michener, Joseph Heller, Marc Chagall, Mario Puzo, name-dropping, Norman Mailer, Utrillo, William Faulkner, writing inspiration
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Writer’s Hint: Keeping the Readers Interested
From Leonard Bishop, Author of Dare To Be a Great Writer A reader’s interest is captured by what you tell them, not by what you promise to tell them. (11/5/98)
Need A Plot? Experts Recycle Them
By Leonard Bishop, Author of Dare To Be A Great Writer There are three reference books that all unpublished (and many already published) writers must own: One Hundred Non-Royalty One-Act Plays (Grosset and Dunlap), 101 of the World’s Greatest … Continue reading
Posted in humor, publishing, teaching, Writing, Writing Techniques
Tagged American Novelist, American writers, best American novelists, Dare to Be A Great Writer, dramatic scenes, history of American fiction, inventing plot, inventiveness, Leonard Bishop, Plot, taking risks in writing, using existing plots, writing inspiration, writing technique
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Closet Writers Usually Turn To Dust
By Leonard Bishop There is a reason why many writers do not remain in the small towns of Kansas to achieve their recognition. There are no writing environments to keep them. A “writing environment” is a place where inexperienced … Continue reading
Posted in publishing, Writing, writing group, Writing Techniques
Tagged American Novelist, American writers, Catch 22, Crazy in Beroin, Dare to Be A Great Writer, Ezra Pound, Gertrude Stein, Hemmingway, Henry Miller, history of American fiction, Jack Kerouac, Joseph Heller, Lie Down In Darkness, Mario Puzo, Nathaniel West, Norman Mailer, Scott Fitzgerald, taking risks in writing, teaching writing, Thomas Berger, William Styron, writing inspiration
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