Entries by Donnell Ann Bell

Make Setting Work for Your Story

  by Donnell Ann Bell  Have you ever been reading a novel, only to find yourself skimming over a passage of long, drawn out setting or description? My guess is you did that because you already had a clear visual and were ready to get on with the story. Setting and description belong in a […]

Good Things Come to Those who Wait, But . . . .

Hello, Stiletto Gang and Readers: As I write this, I’m packing my bags and getting ready for the adventure to start. One daughter-in law is expecting twins, (a boy and a girl) and another daughter-in-law is expecting a baby boy. It’s an exciting time as a grandmother, and after 2020, what’s truly exciting is now […]

A Tribute and a Review

 Hi, folks. Today is Cathy Perkins’s day to blog with The Stiletto Gang. She’s ill, and not up to blogging, so I volunteered to take her day. Since it is her day, I thought I’d tell you a story about Cathy, then do a review of her latest, The Body in the Beaver Pond. Years […]

Crossword Puzzles or a Writer’s Research

  by: Donnell Ann Bell  “What’s a three-letter word for expert?” my husband asks as I’m getting a glass of water before returning to my office. I stiffen. Here it comes, where I should be concentrating on three letters my brain turns into a giant mushroom cloud and I think of every word under the […]

My Lifelong Passion for Horseracing

Hi everyone, today I’m pleased to give up my blog date to introduce you to a special friend of mine. Annette Dashofy and I have been online critique partners, beta readers and personal friends since I’m thinking 2003. She’s an amazing human being who likes horses, cats, and squirrels — sometimes I fear more than […]

I’m Married to a Planner

  Not a wedding planner or an event planner. I’m married to a second-of-every-day planner. A month before hunting season, my husband is compiling his gear. Our bedroom turns into a sea of orange as I roll my eyes. When we’re in the car going from point A to B, my spouse will tell you […]

The Creative Process: Where Does it Start?

  Years ago, when my son and my now daughter-in-law Melanie were dating, she stopped by my home office and asked if I’d like to see her drawings. I didn’t know her well at the time, and I thought this would be a wonderful ice breaker, so, I said, “Sure, I’d love to.” A little […]

Neighbors and Critique Partners

By: Donnell Ann Bell Hello! I am the newest member of the Stiletto Gang, and as a mystery writer and a woman who loves shoes, I will do my best to fit in. I wrote an article for Stiletto Gang way back in the day https://donnellannbell.com/characters/  Call me biased, but I still think it’s relevant. […]