creative writing | Matthew Cushing

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Thoughts on all things Spec Fic

M.C.

Deep POV and Emotion

Conveying character emotions to the reader is one of the most difficult aspects of writing. A form of “show don’t tell,” the author must...

M.C.

A.I. - A Boon to or Death of Imagination?

Advanced algorithms already influence many aspects of our lives, from ads to product recommendations to telemarketers to design...

M.C.

Music as Writing Inspiration

When sitting down to write, the right environment and mood has enormous implications on both my creativity and productivity. Dual...

M.C.

Write Your Story

If there’s any one, core piece of advice I can give to new writers—or any writer for that matter—is to be true to yourself and write your...

M.C.

Pitching Experience

Okay, so maybe not that kind of pitching... I recently attended my first writer’s conference, the Colorado Gold Rush produced by Rocky...

M.C.

Adverbs - The Ostracized Part of Speech

In talking with many authors, opinions regarding the adverb run deep and strong. Many tout the “get rid of ‘em!” philosophy while a few...

M.C.

Formatting a Novel for Print Publication

If deciding to self-publish a print, or hard copy, version, the novel must be prepared for publication. Completing the story is just the...

M.C.

Starting Small

If you’re like me, you love to write and hope to turn that passion into a career at the keyboard. You probably have several ideas for...

M.C.

Critique, Don't Criticize

From published authors to writing hobbyists, everyone in a critique group has the same goal: to improve their writing. Some may need help...