In the beginning, in a land far, far away, there was a writer who was introduced to the concept of show and tell. No, it didn’t involve me bringing a toy and you bringing yours, nor did it cover me showing you mine, and you showing me yours. (winks)

Show and tell, all jokes aside, is nothing to laugh about. It’s the heartache of authors who don’t understand the difference. If you ask ten writers just what show and tell is, you’ll get ten different answers. In that group, you might even get one or two who don’t know what it is, and you’ll always get one that gets it completely wrong.

Let’s get down to the nitty gritty—and yes, I will try to explain this like I’d tell my six-year old.

Some are probably scratching their heads trying to make the connection between DC and Mac. I’m sure there’s more questions in there, but the history behind Mac’s Pearls deals with the earlier days of me writing and trying to come up with a pen name. Mac was short for Mackenzie, yet everyone I met online called me Mac. I used to try to help other writers understand different techniques in writing, as there are many, and while I may not be an expert in writing, I have a good understanding of the “rules.” We’ll get back to why that’s in quotation marks later.

I do need to give a full disclosure before I go any further… I do not have a degree in English or any sort of certificate in creative writing. I’ve learned the art of creative writing by asking questions, doing research, through dedication, and trials and errors. There may be some things I get wrong, and there is plenty I’m still learning, but I hope to help those who may have questions, and Mac’s Pearls is being brought to this blog by popular demand.

I’m going to kick this new series of posts off with the topic of research.

What is research and how does it apply to a writer?

Well, unless you are creating a world that is fantasy or paranormal, or work in a field surrounding something specific you want one of your characters to do—research is a must.