A Symphony of Words

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Dianne Neal Matthews here, hoping to share some encouraging words with you on this second Monday of June. When I recently attended a symphony rehearsal, I enjoyed the music—but I also came away with inspiration to apply to the writing life.

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Essential: Writing Nonfiction with the Reader in Mind

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Jan here, enjoying a beautiful fall afternoon in the foothills of the Sierras. Today I’m considering the readers of the books we are writing–the essential person that we must keep in mind. Over the years I’ve critiqued quite a few nonfiction proposals and manuscripts. The writers pored out their souls in their manuscripts, sometimes to the point of (figuratively) bleeding on the page. Each hoped their story would make a difference in the lives of others who had experienced similar struggles. I found the ideas of many of the stories compelling. And yet, for some, the delivery left me feeling alienated from or…

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