Author Archives: Nadja Maril

What Are You Willing to Give Up…To Get Published?

Where do you draw the line in ownership between the writer and the publisher?

James Bond, Agent 007 and the Spy Fiction Genre

The writer in me, wants to challenge myself to figuring out a new approach to an old genre—the spy novel.

Memorial Day, Father’s Day, Are You Tracking the Holidays?

One of my favorite picture books as a child was about a little girl who doesn’t understand time, seasons, or the days of the week. She vaguely recalls holidays: the flowers blooming, baby chicks , a basket with a fluffy bunny. She remember a cracking walnuts in front of a warm fire, relatives gathering andContinue reading “Memorial Day, Father’s Day, Are You Tracking the Holidays?”

Writing Shortcuts, A.I. and the Future of Creativity

Before there were computers and artificial intelligence, there were file cards.  Writers producing nonfiction used the cards to organize their facts. Writers churning out vast quantities of genre fiction, such as a series of detective novels, also used cards and charts to vary plot lines. Because often they were paid little per book,  these writers figuredContinue reading “Writing Shortcuts, A.I. and the Future of Creativity”

Fairytales Inspire Modern Fiction, Writing Prompts and More.

Perhaps it was the illustrations that captivated me when I’d pour through the fairytale books, the dragons and the princesses with long gowns and tresses, but of all the picture books in my room when I was a young child, I liked the fairytales the best. I can still remember many of those books, theContinue reading “Fairytales Inspire Modern Fiction, Writing Prompts and More.”

What Exactly is Tango and Why Do I Want to Learn this Dance?

The dance we call Tango evolved gradually, out of the music and dance gatherings of enslaved peoples brought to South America from Africa who then shared these dances with fellow workers and immigrants.  It is literally a street dance,

My Dog Has Extra Sensory Perception. Does Yours?

I was having difficulty staying asleep. The room felt hot. I kept tossing and turning. Worrying about my grandson’s upcoming surgery. Worrying about manuscripts I’d emailed to various literary journals, wondering would they eventually result in publication? Finally, I resorted to the one mental exercise I turn to when attempting to initiate slumber, which isContinue reading “My Dog Has Extra Sensory Perception. Does Yours?”

Unexpected Guests

I almost threw them out. The unidentified shoots popping up in last year’s vegetable garden, not yet tilled and planted were destined for the compost pile, until I took a second look. Lettuce, I repeated to myself. Tiny leaves of lettuce. Cilantro. I recognized the familiar leaf, the shape and the fringe edges. We hadn’tContinue reading “Unexpected Guests”

Missing: A Fugitive on the Run. Storytelling from Multiple Perspectives.

Breaking News. Man charged with white collar crimes elects not to board plane to Maryland for his arraignment. Police search his Florida home. Wife claims no knowledge of his whereabouts. Where is he? The news story captures my imagination. Where is Roy McGrath, former Chief of Staff to former Maryland Governor Larry Hogan, hiding? IContinue reading “Missing: A Fugitive on the Run. Storytelling from Multiple Perspectives.”

How Writers Can Help One Another to be Published

I recently became a founding member of a Poetry Collective. Many people have found this surprising, not the founding member part, but the poetry part.  Because when asked about what kind of writing I do, I seldom mention poetry. True enough, I write poems. The majority of these poems, however, are strictly for myself. Poetry,Continue reading “How Writers Can Help One Another to be Published”

Lindy Hop, Swing, The Spanish Ballroom and Learning to Let Go

Saturday night I went swing dancing.  I didn’t see any zoot suits, but being that it was St. Patrick’s Day weekend, I saw men in green derby hats sporting suspenders and women wearing emerald glitter headbands,  full skirts and short crinolines.  We weren’t just anywhere, we were at the Spanish Ballroom at Glen Echo locatedContinue reading “Lindy Hop, Swing, The Spanish Ballroom and Learning to Let Go”

What Does a Mote Spoon and a Red Violin Have To Do With Creativity?

This year’s AWP ( Association of Writers and Writing Programs) conference was held in Seattle, Washington and it ran from Thursday March 8th through Saturday March 11th. Even though I wasn’t there, I felt like I was, because my email box kept filling up with notices pertaining to everything that was going on: workshops, readings,Continue reading “What Does a Mote Spoon and a Red Violin Have To Do With Creativity?”

Have The Thought Police Arrived?

Banning books is one thing, but what about rewriting books?

The Joy of Being Published

Writers are writing because they have a compulsion to write. They want to be heard.  More important to writers than money, is a following of readers.