About Teri Dawn Smith

Teri Dawn Smith lives in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas and tries to keep up with the holidays, quirks, and loyalties of her international family including her Canadian husband and three adopted Bolivian children.

Read more about Teri.

Writing Lesson 2.10 – Metaphor

(Guest Post by Shelly Dippel) . . . or How to Take the Shortcut to Brilliance The sun was a ball of fire. The road was a snake slithering through the countryside. What did you picture when you read these two sentences? Flames lapping at the sky? Clouds lit up with a pink glow? A […]

Writing Lesson 2.9 – 10 Common Mistakes Writers Make

After teaching writing and critiquing many chapters for the past several years, I’ve come up with a list of the common mistakes I see in manuscripts.

Writing Lesson 2.5 – The Five Senses in Fiction

Good fiction writers make use of the five senses to immerse readers deep into the story world and to layer in emotions and moods.

Writing Lesson 33 – A Checklist for Revisions

Revision tops the list for the best thing you can do for your story… but sometimes it’s the most neglected step. Some people don’t revise because their writing seems so personal; it’s their baby, a masterpiece. No one should tinker with it. Others simply refuse to take the time and effort. But if you’re serious […]

Writing Lesson 28 – Randomness

A Creativity Tool At any point when you create your story, you will come to places where you need to do some brainstorming. It could be at the beginning when an idea first begins to germinate. You’ll need to choose your characters, their profession, the goals, conflicts, and more. Or maybe it’ll be in the […]