Richard Stanzak‭

I am surprised by the vehemence of many writers' objection to said-bookisms -- the practice of using a verb other than "said" or "asked" in order to convey dialog. Writers are told you can't hiss a...

2 answers  ·  posted 8y ago by Richard Stanzak‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

Even bad writing requires skills. I read my earlier efforts and think how badly I suck, so I edit and move on. Often, I return to revise my revisions only to wonder why I had changed my initial dra...

posted 8y ago by Richard Stanzak‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

I have previously mentioned in other posts that I was a molecular biologist and ICU nurse. Sadly, that means I am bedeviled with a double dose of bad writing habits: academese and medicalese. Just ...

2 answers  ·  posted 8y ago by Richard Stanzak‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

I am writing a novel that contains spy elements. Although the plot is based in the near future, it alludes to recent past historical events. Specifically, it discusses the 1985 'Year of the Spy' an...

0 answers  ·  posted 8y ago by Richard Stanzak‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

We all have read about the huge successes of self published authors. http://www.forbes.com/sites/jaymcgregor/2015/04/17/mark-dawson-made-750000-from-self-published-amazon-books/#611bdb2a35e3 http:/...

1 answer  ·  posted 7y ago by Richard Stanzak‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

The good news is I found a great site on Goodreads that matches writers with people willing to be their critique partner:https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/18443955-searching-for-critique-partner...

posted 7y ago by Richard Stanzak‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

I am writing a logline sentence of a query letter for my novel and used the idiom 'cat and mouse' as follows: A military bioweapons collector is forced to engage in a game of ‘cat and mouse’ w...

1 answer  ·  posted 7y ago by Richard Stanzak‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

The LONG road to publishing a novel is nearing an end. But writing a novel is actually only the beginning; editing, formatting, compiling and marketing the novel makes the initial task of writing s...

0 answers  ·  posted 7y ago by Richard Stanzak‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

Last year, I completed a heavily researched 95,000-word novel about an emerging pandemic that targets primarily children. I am a former scientist and current nurse and wanted to do teaching about w...

3 answers  ·  posted 6y ago by Richard Stanzak‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

I am a former Molecular Biologist and also worked for years as an ICU nurse. I personally liked Crichton's style of writing about science/medical mishaps but found his presentation of science/medic...

3 answers  ·  posted 8y ago by Richard Stanzak‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

"By the time I am nearing the end of a story, the first part will have been reread and altered and corrected at least one hundred and fifty times. I am suspicious of both facility and speed. Goo...

3 answers  ·  posted 8y ago by Richard Stanzak‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

Programmers often collaborate over code by using pastebin. They drop sections of code for others to read and assist in improving or removing errors. Does anyone know if a similar app exists for wri...

3 answers  ·  posted 7y ago by Richard Stanzak‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

I used to call my novel a techno-thriller but most readers stated they wanted to see more action in the very first chapter. At first I thought of complying, but then realized why would I reveal mor...

1 answer  ·  posted 7y ago by Richard Stanzak‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

Having nearly completed the second draft on my 135,000 word novel, I am now seeking critiques of my query letter before I submit them to agents. I did find a forum at AQ Connect - Query Critiques ...

1 answer  ·  posted 7y ago by Richard Stanzak‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

I have had several people ask me who is the main character of my thriller novel. But, the novel involves multiple characters working as a team who rise and fall as the need occurs. At first I thoug...

1 answer  ·  posted 7y ago by Richard Stanzak‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭