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MJ Rodriguez
May 15, 20191 min read
Change a life--promote reading
My hero is the mother of Ben Carson. Why? Because she changed the future of her sons by making them read. They were failing at school and...
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MJ Rodriguez
Apr 19, 20191 min read
Love when children love my books.
I love that these sweet children enjoy my books. What a joy to share my stories with others.
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MJ Rodriguez
Apr 17, 20191 min read
Reading my books to students
I love reading my children's books to students! This week I visited two kindergarten and a first grade class to read and was blown away...
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MJ Rodriguez
Apr 4, 20191 min read
Ever been in a slump?
I’m in a slump. I don’t know how I got there. I finished my novel, Where the River Goes, and my beta readers have it. That’s a little...
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MJ Rodriguez
Mar 17, 20192 min read
Did you know there are nine ways to reach first base?
I didn't until editor, agent, and speaker Bob Hostetler explained the ways at the Mid-south Christian Writers' Conference in Memphis this...
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MJ Rodriguez
Feb 12, 20191 min read
Talent Management
Every person is born with one or more talents. You may not recognize yours, but it’s there. People need to discover and develop their...
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MJ Rodriguez
Feb 12, 20191 min read
How To Get Organized
- Master your habits. - Discipline yourself. - Stop living in future fantasies. - Do things right the first time or postpone them until...
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MJ Rodriguez
Feb 10, 20191 min read
10 Points to Time Management
Time management is important for everyone, including writers. We often have to make time to write, and it’s important for us to use the...
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MJ Rodriguez
Jan 30, 20193 min read
The Fun of Editing
Well, I’m editing my book, Where the River Goes. It’s a rather long process, and I hope to have it ready to publish sometime this spring....
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MJ Rodriguez
Jan 15, 20191 min read
When Characters Become Directors
As I near the end of my novel, I have to go back to change some things to make the end events come out right. I changed the occupation of...
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MJ Rodriguez
Jan 13, 20192 min read
No Cursing in my Novels
My book will not have cursing in it. If someone curses, I say, "He cursed." I don't use actual curse words. That's my preference. Others...
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MJ Rodriguez
Jan 11, 20191 min read
Dialogue is the Bomb
Writers who advise other writers say make your dialogue realistic. Every person doesn't talk the same, so your characters shouldn't...
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MJ Rodriguez
Jan 9, 20192 min read
Thank God for Lists
Do you ever have a problem repeating words while you’re writing? I sure do. I’m aware that when I finish writing this novel (Where the...
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MJ Rodriguez
Dec 30, 20182 min read
Holiday writing
I sure am enjoying writing over the holidays! My novel is coming together nicely as I start working on the climax and nearing the end. I...
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MJ Rodriguez
Dec 25, 20181 min read
Christmas
What a wonderful time I've had today celebrating Christmas with family. First, dinner with my in-laws is always enjoyable. We share good...
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MJ Rodriguez
Dec 13, 20182 min read
I'm trying!
Active voice or passive voice? That is the question, and the answer is always ‘active’. That’s my problem. For some reason, I habitually...
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MJ Rodriguez
Dec 7, 20182 min read
The Outline Debate
Often writers debate over whether to outline or not. I won’t debate over it. I don’t care what method you use when you write—to each his...
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MJ Rodriguez
Dec 3, 20181 min read
What Genre?
I’m working hard on a novel, and someone asked me what genre it is. I don’t know! How do I figure that out? I want it to be a romantic...
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MJ Rodriguez
Nov 20, 20182 min read
Marketing My Book.
Last weekend the writers' group to which I belong had a presenter speak about marketing. In three hours, he had time only to scratch the...
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MJ Rodriguez
Oct 24, 20181 min read
Self-publish or traditional?
I've self-published all my books, but I'm considering querying a traditional publisher for my next novel. My knowledge about this issue...
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