Category Archives: Pen Points

What You Don’t Say Tells Another Story: The Power of Subtext in Writing

Posted on May 16, 2021 by Char of inkydancestudios

Facial expression, misdirection, avoidance, double meaning, body language, and quips, are some of the ways to use subtext. How fun for your readers when you let them take part in writing your story. Think about it. If you haven’t spelled … Continue reading →

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TRIBUTE TO A FRIEND- Judith Van Gieson

Posted on March 6, 2021 by Char of inkydancestudios

Judith Van Gieson passed away unexpectedly in Albuquerque, NM in January. I took these photos of her at what I expect was her last public appearance. Here she is holding the manuscript of her book that had been adopted for … Continue reading →

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DEODAND: A THING THAT MUST BE OFFERED . . . .

Posted on August 10, 2020 by Char of inkydancestudios

Left-overs from my historical-biography novel research. The year, 1637: Poor John Briant, lies there crumpled in the dirt, bleeding with cuts and scratches. His body has become a broken bulk. Poor, poor John is now quite dead. Who killed John? … Continue reading →

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Children, Spinsters, and Patriots

Posted on July 22, 2020 by Char of inkydancestudios

Babies died. Children died. Young men and women died. Life in 1630s early-colonial America called for hard work, endurance, and brought much heartache. Here in our high-tech automated world of designer medicines, we think of our ancestral grandfathers and sons … Continue reading →

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Ale and Leather. . . Let ‘s Drink to it.

Posted on June 22, 2020 by Char of inkydancestudios

If you sailed from England to the New World in the 1630s, before the age of coffee or tea, your beverage of choice would be cider or ale.  No one trusted the purity of onboard water. On the ship your … Continue reading →

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HOW TO USE 3,000 STRAIGHT PINS

Posted on June 15, 2020 by Char of inkydancestudios

Queen Elizabeth (b. 1533 – d. 1603) used about 3,000 straight pins a month, probably more than most, but still an impressive amount. Pins have been used for about 4,000 years, appearing around the emergence of the bronze age. You … Continue reading →

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