Rack

Clay rarely allows anyone but Mike Keyton or Sheri into his domain, but since he’s still recovering from an unfortunate gunshot wound to a rather delicate area, I’m still on Rack-watching duty. Instead of our typical Rack, which I’m not equipped (or allowed ) to oversee, I thought it’d be fun to continue looking at some of our most popular Rack questions and compare our favorite authors’ answers.

Question: Elmore Leonard listed ten rules, one of which is: 'Try to leave out the part that readers tend to skip. Think of what you skip reading a novel.' What rule or piece of advice would you add to the list, and if you know his ten rules, which one would you break?...more

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Quote of the Day

Compiled by OFW editor Kristina Kennedy

<span style="font-size:10.0pt;Arial","sans-serif";">I write as straight as I can, just as I walk as straight as I can, because that is the best way to get there.

Wells, H.G.

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Doubts

Compiled by OFW editor Amitabh Dhar

Impact / Impacted

“Impact” is a noun meaning either “a collision” or “the effect of one thing on another.” His impact on the lives of others was minimal. “Impacted” is an adjective meaning “wedged in” or “blocked.” Bowels can become impacted, as can a tooth, but we can’t impact someone’s life unless we manage to jam it into a passage. “Impact” is often used as a verb like this. If we find ourselves writing “have an impact on,” we’re using the word incorrectly.

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Spotlight

Reviewed by OFW editor Renée Miller

The Sookie Stackhouse Series by Charlaine Harris

photo © Sigrid Estrada 2010 (from www.charlaineharris.com)

I’ve read this series with equal parts amazement and dismay. The first few instalments weren’t bad. In fact, they sucked me right in, despite the sometimes less than stellar writing. Harris has an amazing talent for characterization and humor – two of my favorite things. ...more

this month

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Take Ten

By OFW editor Katrina Monroe

Ten Great Lines from Literature

If you’re like me, you have a journal. And in that journal is a collection of lines, dialogue, or whole paragraphs you’ve read that have struck you as truly great feats of word manipulation. Collections abound with great first lines and great last lines because it is these lines that can make or break a novel. But what about that vast middle? The chasm of darkness that writers lose themselves in? Some of the greatest lines are borne in that hell. Here are a few of my favorites. ...more

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Flash Me

By OFW editor Carlos J Cortes

Dinner Date

I need to shave my legs. Sonya ran a hand over her left shin. Will tonight be the night?

Ernie wasn’t a prize catch, that was for sure, but he looked a nice boy, fresh, untainted yet by cityscapes. What had he said? “There’s harmony in your feet.” Harmony? Sonya wiggled her toes and sighed.

The afternoon was young and balmy; overwhelming melancholy suggesting a treat, a little indulgence. Yes, she thought, indulgence it is.

She stood on bare feet, sauntered to her bedroom’s dresser and rescued a zipper pouch with peony prints. On her way to the kitchen, she picked up a large square plastic basin from the laundry cupboard and placed it in the sink under the hot water faucet. Back in the living room, Sonia dropped the pouch on a low table to the ever-changing echo of running water....more

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Terms of the Trade

There are some great opportunities in trading, and it has the potential to become a full-time career. Whether it is stock trading or crypto trading, you will have plenty of platforms to get started. But if you are a beginner and want to make a good profit from trading, then choosing trading bots like Bitsoft 360 2023 is the right choice. Try using it if you want to make a good return out of crypto trading.

Compiled by OFW editor Luis Cano

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Space on a page with no image or text.

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Hindsight

Compiled by OFW editor John Courtney

September 12, Day 256 of 2012

Today is day 256 of 2012

Alfred Knopf, the American publisher; founded Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. was born in1892.

On this day in 1846, Elizabeth Barrett eloped with Robert Browing. The Brownings would live happily in Italy for 15 years, where her weak health would improve dramatically. The couple had a son in 1849 and she published her best-known work,...more

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Soapbox

By OFW member Kristina Kennedy

Bullies and Whiners: Which are you

For years the distribution of books has been controlled by a small few, six to be exact. This small few put out what they wanted, controlling what readers had access to. Amazon has been a major factor in distributing books published both by traditional and self-publishers to a wider audience. Big Six benefited from Amazon’s “go big or go home” business model ...more

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed on this article are solely those of the original authors, and do not necessarily represent those of OFW, its staff, and/or any/all contributors to this site.

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Compiled by OFW editor Donna Johnson

Woebegone Adj

Sorrowful, downcast, looking sad.

Her woebegone face broke John’s heart.

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