Entries by Donnell Ann Bell

On Accepting Advice

Dear Readers: I’m slowly but surely recovering from 2023! So much progress. I’m still grieving, but my mother’s estate is settled and I can see the floor to my office. I realized it was my day to blog on The Stiletto Gang so I pulled up an article I wrote in 2016. Funny, the position […]

Multitasking, Time Management and Organization

Multitasking, Time Management and Organization By Donnell Ann Bell Where’s my keys? Where’s my phone? What did I do with my glasses? Sound familiar? Many people attribute forgetfulness to advancing years. Me? I attribute forgetfulness to distraction, our busy lives, and the ridiculous notion that if we’re doing multiple things at once, we’re efficient and […]

The-saga-of-the-thought-stolen-purse/

Happy Monday!  Because I’m traveling today, I thought I’d leave you with something that ideally will brighten your day.  Note:  My thought-stolen-purse saga happened some years ago, and yes, I’m still married to the guy.  For the record, I didn’t even change the names to protect the innocent. By Donnell Ann Bell My day starts […]

The Force Behind Words

By Donnell Ann Bell When I was growing up, I heard often—particularly on the playground–the children’s rhyme, “Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words can never hurt me.” I looked up its origin, which appears to have been around since the 1830s. I suspect whoever coined the phrase meant well, probably devised the […]

Believable Characters and Fearless Creating

By Donnell Ann Bell Happy Monday, Stiletto Gang and readers! I was notified that my third published novel is going on sale June 16 through June 30, 2023, which of course  I find exciting. It also made me think about the story and all that went into it. Research, check. . .Mysterious characters, check . […]

An Expert Disagreement

By Donnell Ann Bell In December 2022, on The Stiletto Gang, I blogged about the importance of accurate research when creating our fictional stories. I also pointed out that the Internet is a great place to obtain plot information, but to rely exclusively on search engines is risky. I also mentioned in this blog that […]

The Element of Surprise

Remember the American Express Card slogan, “Don’t leave home without it?” Great slogan but as a writer, I have a different take on the saying. “Don’t publish without an editor.” There are different types of editors. A few that come to mind are developmental, copy editing, and proofreading. Many authors rely on their agents to […]