creative-writing
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By Peggy Arthur Greetings! I didn’t read my editorial letter in one sitting. I couldn’t. The letter was long, detailed, and deeply thoughtful. The kind of feedback that doesn’t just touch your sentences, but your story’s bones. And after starting it, I felt something I didn’t expect: I felt completely exhausted. Not just “tired,” but…
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By Peggy Arthur Greetings! There’s a strange tension that arrives during this phase of the writing life. Your book is finished but not finished. It’s out of your hands, but not really. Your editor is deep inside the work, pulling at structure, pacing, intention. And you’re left with time. Space. Quiet. This is the week…
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By Peggy Arthur Greetings! There’s a version of every story that never makes it into the book. It lives in deleted scenes, abandoned subplots, and characters who once felt essential yet quietly stepped aside so the story could breathe. This week, I want to talk about that version of The Pretender’s Game. The Scenes I Let Go Of…
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The Story Behind Introducing My Second Protagonist By Peggy Arthur Greetings! When I first started writing The Pretender’s Game, I tried giving every chapter a different character perspective. It seemed ambitious and artistic, until it completely stumped me. Instead of one novel, I suddenly had multiple stories pulling me in different directions. Too many voices, too…
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By Peggy Arthur Greetings! One cannot separate man from myth or myth from man. Each feeds the other, like a two-headed snake endlessly consuming itself. Mythology has always lived at the edges of our lives, shaping how we understand good and evil, right and wrong, light and shadow. It’s not just ancient tales carved into…
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By Peggy Arthur Greetings, writers and readers! When it comes to the art of writing novels, there are countless methods. Some resonate, some don’t. Recently, I had the unique experience of not only reading Write Your Novel from the Middle by James Scott Bell but also attending a live Zoom session hosted by the Atlanta Writers Club,…
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By Peggy Arthur I’ve spent nearly a decade writing, editing, rewriting, and starting over. Honestly, I’ve lost track. Year 9? Year 10? At this point, time feels like a blur stitched together by pages, paragraphs, and characters who refuse to be quiet. But here’s what I do know: this year, I’ve accomplished more than in all…
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By Peggy Arthur Greetings! As a Southern fiction author, inspiration doesn’t always arrive on command—it’s something I seek out intentionally. When I need to refill my creative well, I go to the source. 1. The Local Library One of my favorite places to find inspiration is my local library. There’s something grounding about being surrounded…
Peggy Arthur 