The Kindness Method by Shahroo Izadi is a practical self-help book rooted in behavioral change, focusing on personal growth rather than just addiction. Initially perceived as targeted only at those struggling with addiction, it ultimately offers valuable insights through motivating exercises that promote self-awareness and non-judgmental support for overcoming negative behaviors.
Author: Tasha L. Driver
Tasha is the author of contemporary paranormal fantasy. She has moved all across America, but living small towns near big cities in the Midwest, and working odd jobs at famous restaurants, inspired her to write about supernatural beings who live and love in secret communities in those small towns.
Tasha began writing creatively at a very young age. Now, with a passion for fiction and as the mother to a young child, she writes everything from children's stories to paranormal romance. She released her first novel, The Angel Inside, in August 2014, and began offering editing services in March 2015. She invites you on her journey with posts on writing and style, interspersed with various excerpts, reviews and author interviews.
In 2009, she was diagnosed with Crohn's disease, an autoimmune illness that is very debilitating. With the addition of Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Rheumatoid Arthritis, and co-morbid illness related depression, she also finds herself being an advocate and champion for those dealing with "invisible" illnesses and disabilities. If you, or someone you know, are coping with illness, you may find a little inspiration here.
Review: An Anonymous Girl
An Anonymous Girl, published by St. Martin’s Press, follows Jessica Farris, who participates in a psychological study by Dr. Shields. As the sessions intensify, Jessica struggles with paranoia and trust. Although the premise is engaging, the narrative style and character development fall short, leading to a disappointing reading experience.
Diversity in Fiction: Sneaking in a Little Religion
Charles Ott discusses the challenges of creating a Christian character in science fiction, emphasizing the difficulty in appealing to a predominantly secular audience. He critiques the negative portrayal of religion in sci-fi literature and shares guidelines for integrating faith authentically. Ott’s novel features a devout Christian character, highlighting complexities in representation.
Diversity in Fiction: Beyond Tokenism and Stereotypes
Guest Author – Brenda Murphy What is diversity? For many white people the first thing that they think of is people of color. This leads to writers randomly inserting characters of color into storylines because the writer felt obligated too, or the call for submissions stressed that they were looking for diversity of story lines,…
WCE Notes: Point of View, Part Two – First Person
I’m continuing my series on point of view with an in-depth look at the first-person type. For a summary of all types, pros and cons, and common errors, see Part One. First person narrators are characters in the story. Most commonly they are a main character, but you may also find that a few are…
WCE Notes: Point of View, Part One
The biggest question/concern I’ve heard from writers recently involves which point of view (POV) is right for what they are working on. There was a time when it would rarely be asked. The default was third person, usually limited. In most cases, it was all a publisher would except for some genres. Industry changes have…
WCE Notes: Creating Characters With Depth
This week’s note comes in the form of a guest post from author, mentor, and friend Cynthia Maddox. If you like the information presented here, be sure to read all the way to the end of the post for details on how you can see the full workshop presentation in Evansville, IN for free.
WCE Notes: 20 Filler Words and How to Get Rid of Them
You’ve all heard that filler words such as “um” and “like” need to be avoided when speaking, but did you know that there are a large number of words that will add clutter to your writing as well? I’m going to tell you how to tighten up your prose in one of the easiest ways…
A Wicked Disaster by Tasha Driver
(*Note* I am a room mother for my son’s kindergarten class and he made me promise to make up one “from my head.” Well it is finished and I hope you enjoy it with your trick or treaters. If you do, let me know what you thought in the comments. P.s. It was written to…
A Procrastinator’s Guide to NaNoWriMo Prep
Updated with new links (October 2015): November is National Novel Writing Month and a time when all writers are encouraged to write the first draft of a fifty thousand word novel from beginning to end. Doing this is a great experience for both new and experienced writers (read this Writer’s Digest article), and many do…
