Carolyn Mulford

If you’re an editor, you know the importance of the new 1192-page 18th edition of the Chicago Manual of Style. Since the University of Chicago Press published the first edition in 1906, other book publishers, many periodicals, and now electronic publications have accepted Chicago as the primary guide. Even publishers who write their own style manuals, or settle for a pamphlet on which Chicago guidelines they don’t accept, study the latest edition to adjust editorial styles. Without style manuals, we would rely on writers’ personal preferences and editors’ memories to be consistent on thousands of disputed questions. The two most … Continue reading →

Posted in Basic Tools, Resources, Uncategorized, Writing

In Praise of “Said”

Carolyn Mulford Posted on September 1, 2024 by CarolynSeptember 1, 2024

When I began the transition from nonfiction to fiction, writing dialogue seemed easy. Then my critique readers pointed out my lack of skill in using tags, the words that identify the speaker. In general, tags precede (Mary said, “You’re late. Get going.”), lie within, (“You’re late,” Mary said. “Get going.”), or follow the dialogue (“You’re late. Get going,” Mary said.). Even if only two people are talking, readers need reminders of which one’s speaking after a few exchanges. The writer fails if the reader has to go back to figure out who’s saying what. Rule of thumb: When the reader … Continue reading →

Posted in Basic Tools, Writing

Why I Write Short Stories

Carolyn Mulford Posted on August 1, 2024 by CarolynAugust 1, 2024

For years I wrote and edited commercial newsletters. I got tired of the short form, limited content, and demands for accuracy and objectivity. So in my early sixties I revived my dormant goal of writing novels. Switching from nonfiction to fiction and from 600 to 90,000 words forced me to learn new skills, activate a different part of my brain, and face the financial reality that fiction doesn’t pay well or soon. For the next 10 years, as I served my fiction apprenticeship, my earnings came almost exclusively from my freelance editorial work. In spare hours, I concentrated on learning … Continue reading →

Posted in Writing | Tagged Writing

Advice to My Younger Self

Carolyn Mulford Posted on May 9, 2024 by CarolynMay 9, 2024

What message would you give your younger self? I didn’t want to answer that question, the topic for conversation at a recent lunch. My naïve teenage self knew little of life beyond my farming community, and the whole world has changed incredibly since then. Specific advice from my work as a writer or my griefs and gratifications as an adult would have meant little to me then. Reluctantly I dredged up five general observations that might have helped me 70 years ago. Life is a learning process. Growth doesn’t stop in our twenties, or even fifties. You never know enough … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized

My One-Room School

Carolyn Mulford Posted on April 30, 2024 by CarolynApril 30, 2024

In the 1940s, my sisters and I sometimes wore feedsack dresses, blouses, and skirts to the one-room school a half mile from our farm. Our family had a history there. My grandmother’s family had donated the land for the school, my father had received his eight years of education there, and my mother had met him while teaching there and spending her summers taking undergraduate courses. On a typical day, we rushed to school to play a few minutes before the teacher rang the handbell at 8:55 for our 9 o’clock start. In mild weather, the dozen or so pupils … Continue reading →

Posted in Historicals, The Feedsack Dress