A few days ago, I was listening to syndicated radio talk show host and IT professional Kim Komando talk about algorithms and the importance of discoverability. Naturally, I paid attention because as we creatives know, algorithms and key words are our products’ lifeblood. Not only is Ms. Komando syndicated nationally, she has a Youtube channel, […]
Authors Note: I’ve been busy doing beta reads and the subject of fragmented sentences came up. I wrote the following article in 2013 while editing Writing from the Peak, Pikes Peak Writers blog. I didn’t update the original because dated as it is, I still think it has relevance in 2026. See if you don’t […]
When a headline popped up in my feed two months ago, I did something I rarely do. I immediately clicked on. I was intrigued by the title, The Girl Who was Plugged In. My plan was simply to explain the gist of the 1973 science fiction novella about a disabled fifteen-year-old girl who agrees to […]
By Donnell Ann Bell I do not consider myself a vain person. Uncertainty follows me on a daily basis. And like most authors insecurity has me on speed dial. But if I write something that corresponds with the vision in my head, then I develop a strong belief in my project. It doesn’t happen with […]
Dear Stiletto Gang Readers: I am so proud to know today’s guest. Read on; I have no doubt you’ll understand why. ~ Donnell Ann Bell Out of the Drawer By: Rochelle Staab Most every writer keeps one or more unwritten novels somewhere in a drawer/file/box, waiting, hoping for the enthusiasm to finish. Most drawer stories […]
One of my favorite lines from a film is during The Trouble with Angels when Hayley Mills who plays a troublemaker teenager says, “I have a scathingly brilliant idea!” Mine may not be scathingly brilliant but for many a spark or an idea can be a figurative pot of gold. I got my idea for […]
By Donnell Ann Bell I’m glad I only blog once a month on The Stiletto Gang. Mainly because when I stumble on a topic I’d like to discuss, that’s how long it takes to condense the mushroom cloud in my brain into a few cohesive paragraphs. Case in point, I recently read an ad in […]
Greetings! I’m excited to join the Sisterhood of the Traveling Book and share where my books have been spotted. In choosing one particular book, it occurred to me that all of my books have traveled. Many across the U.S. some internationally. In fact, I’m rather jealous. They are far better traveled than…well, me! So, for […]
By Donnell Ann Bell When my children were small, I’d plop one kid on my left side, the other on my right, and open a book. I’d read one page, hand it off to the one on the left and say, “Your turn.” My daughter would read one page and hand it back to me. […]
By Donnell Ann Bell Last month I wrote a blog called The Games People Play & the Value of Improvisation | The Stiletto Gang My point in writing the blog was to explain how word games and improvisation can activate our brains. For writers, games and improvisation not only are fun, we can also use […]