ARTS & ENDS
a creative life
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Home Project Notes: How to Fix a Cracked Planter with Epoxy Resin
Summer is almost upon us – and with the sun and warmth cresting to a steady glow, repotting season. But oh no! Your favorite planter is cracking! Can it be saved? How can you repair, or at least prevent it from going to the landfill? One answer: With epoxy resin!…
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Revising Your Book: 7 Tricks for Cutting Down Word Count
Your first draft is finished. You’ve taken your break from the manuscript, and now you’re ready to come back to it with fresh eyes — and maybe an edit letter. The burning question: How are you going to cut your book down to size, as dictated by industry standards for…
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Writing Compelling Characters: 3 Personality Pitfalls, & How to Improve on Them
What makes us care about a story? As readers, suspense and plot and can keep us turning pages, but they end when the book does. Likewise powerful prose or keen observations strike us in the moment, but can leave fleeting impressions. So what is it that really gives a novel…
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The Creator’s Tagline, & Why To Have One
I used to think of branding as a necessary evil, and then as a tool, and a process, and finally: I’m starting to think of it as a fine wine. To some degree, perhaps it’s all of the above. But let’s talk for moment about how, beyond a marketing aspect,…
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Art 101: Stepping Back From Your Work
There are obscure things you learn in school that you’ll never use in the real life – and then there are the obscure things you learn in school that you never stop using. I learned what I’m about to share in an entry-level art class, and I use it today…
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Start Here: Favorite Writing Advice
If you’ve ever told someone you’re writing a book, congratulations: You are almost as likely to have received unsolicited advice about it as a pat on the hand and assurance that you, dear reader, could be the next [insert household celebrity author]! (There should be a punch card for this…
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Julie Israel 