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A Prisoner of Hope
Offering hope and encouragement for life, writing, and living a thoughtful life.

A Prisoner of Hope
Offering hope and encouragement for life, writing, and living a thoughtful life.
I post the first and third Tuesday of the month.
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Megan DiMaria
Jul 16, 20191 min read
Five necessary components to a novel
Sometimes it good to remember stuff we've already been taught. Elementary, yes—but it's good to ponder the basics of novel writing. One:...
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Megan DiMaria
Jul 9, 20193 min read
Choosing the best word in your writing
As writers, we work with words the way a sculptor uses chisels, files, and hammers. The words we choose and the way we arrange them...
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Megan DiMaria
Jun 18, 20192 min read
Simple tips for writing an elevator pitch
If you’re writing a book, you need to have an elevator pitch prepared for when someone asks you about your work. An elevator pitch is a...
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Megan DiMaria
Jun 11, 20192 min read
How long is too long to keep on trying?
One of the hardest decisions you’ll ever face in life is choosing whether to walk away or try harder. ~Zaid K. Abdelnour Have you been...
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Megan DiMaria
Jun 4, 20192 min read
You may need to read this: Just Pray!
Today's message is simple and straightforward: just pray! There are days when challenges seem to come out of the air. There are days when...
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Megan DiMaria
May 28, 20192 min read
Writers: Six tips to refresh your creativity
Writers can get overwhelmed trying to find a new way to communicate the ordinary and everyday moments that make up life. Writers can get...
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Megan DiMaria
May 21, 20192 min read
Answering critics and strategies to deal with disappointment
Everyone’s a critic. Everyone has an opinion. And of course, everyone's entitled to their opinion. But what happens when a critic or a...
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Megan DiMaria
May 14, 20192 min read
Why authors (and everyone else) need to be on their best behavior
In today’s world, a careless word or Tweet can circle the globe faster than a shooting star can light up the heavens. We move in a...
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Megan DiMaria
May 7, 20192 min read
Writers: resources and tips for crafting better descriptions
You've heard the quote, "A rose by any other name would smell as sweet." It's from Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. The saying implies...
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Megan DiMaria
Apr 30, 20193 min read
Tips and guidelines for author critique groups
Participating in a critique group can be one of the best things you can do to help move forward in your writing skills. A crit group will...
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Megan DiMaria
Apr 23, 20191 min read
Eleven tips for revealing your novel's characters
Hi! I'm back after my Lenten break. I didn't blog, but I haven't neglected my writing. I like simple tips, ones that make you say ah-ha...
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Megan DiMaria
Mar 14, 20191 min read
Suggestions for Lent 2019
Sorry I missed posting this past Tuesday. I had intended to, but I felt an urge to withdraw. I still do, actually. This Lent I feel a...
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Megan DiMaria
Mar 5, 20191 min read
Eight steps to make your dream come true
Do you have an unfulfilled dream? Is there something that you always dreamed of doing? Is there a goal that's been hidden in your heart...
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Megan DiMaria
Feb 26, 20192 min read
Practice kindness, that forgotten virtue.
Did you know you have the power to change someone else's reality? Extend yourself and show kindness, either in word or deed. Your...
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Megan DiMaria
Feb 19, 20191 min read
Want to be a writer? Here's some advice:
Want to be a writer? Are you thinking about it? And thinking? START NOW. If you don't know how to start, get a how-to book out of the...
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Megan DiMaria
Feb 12, 20192 min read
What's your 2019 scripture verse?
Huh? A scripture verse for the year? Yup. That's what I've decided to do this year—forgo the yearly "word of the year" for a scripture...
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Megan DiMaria
Feb 5, 20191 min read
Five truths about YOUR author voice
The good news is that the story YOU tell is different than the story another author tells, even if the plot is similar. If you want to...
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Megan DiMaria
Jan 29, 20192 min read
A short list of good books to read while the winter weather rages
It's that time of year, after the holidays and before spring blooms burst around us, that reading a good book is particularly satisfying....
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Megan DiMaria
Jan 22, 20192 min read
Do you long for peace, too?
I don't know about you, but I think the world has become a harsher, less kind place in the past few years. It truly wears on my heart....
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