Category: writing
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2016 A Good Year for Writing
2016 stunk in a lot of ways, not the least of which were all the deaths, both famous and not. Too many taken from us too soon. There was one respect in which 2016 was kind of all right. It’s a very personal way, not something that means much to anyone but me. For several years, […]
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Dellani’s Tea Time January 11, 2016
Join Dellani and her cohost, Christina (Rachel Rueben) for the first Dellani’s Tea Time of 2016 at 4:00 PM EST today! There’s no telling what we’ll talk about, but you can be sure to get a laugh (or even two) while we talk about all things book and writing related. We will probably get off […]
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Music Creates a Mood
I played a piece of music for my husband yesterday, “Requiem for a Dream” by Clint Mansell. To me the melody was somewhat haunting, beautiful, melodic, creating an ‘otherworldly’ feeling to it. He listened to it and kept backing away from my chair. “What is that? It’s very discordant. It’s evil.” Okay…. hadn’t thought of […]
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When Something You Write Makes You Cry
I just got done writing one of the saddest books I’ve ever written. Unusual for me, because most of my work is pretty upbeat. It might be intense or action packed, even hot and steamy, but not sad. I don’t mean depressing, because the story is one of hope and it has a happy ending. […]
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Beating the Block
Writer’s Block! These ominous words send shivers down the spine of any writer. Insidious, it strikes with no warning, clogging the brain, paralyzing fingers, bringing grown writers to their knees. There are many types of writer’s block, each with its own pernicious characteristics. Below, I have listed those which plague me the most often. 1) […]
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Editing, the Writer’s Nightmare
So, you’ve finished that four hundred and sixty page novel. You sit proudly and pat the cover page tenderly, smoothing the white surface when much to your horror, you see a mistake! Cold sweat breaks out on your brow, fingers tremble, mouth suddenly goes dry. As your eye wanders down the page, more and more […]
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To Outline or Not to Outline?
I continue to be amazed by people who make outlines of their stories, know where the story line is going and most of all know the ending before even writing the book. Who are these godlike folk and why am I not like them? I am a very off the cuff writer, I don’t know […]
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In the Midst of Madness
Finding time to write is something every author deals with. Some of us have more time to devote to it than others, but still find that life intrudes. I just spent the month of November taking the National November Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) challenge. While it’s invigorating to test my writing abilities, it also tests my […]
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When the Muse Strikes!
I originally wrote and posted this back in 2008. Seems like eons ago. It seemed worth updating and sharing once more. I’ve updated a few things to make it more timely, but otherwise, it’s the same as it was November 25, 2008. It was 5:45 this morning and I woke with a starting sentence in […]
Dellani Oakes 
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