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Jerz > About > Dennis G. Jerz [ Professional Biography | Writing Handouts ]

Phone: 724.830.1909
Fax: 724 830 4601

I’m grateful for vaccines and America’s First Amendment freedoms.

Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.

On this website I don’t intend to speak for my employer or anyone else. Views expressed here are my own.

Consultation Hours, Spring 2024

  • Tue 2:30-4
  • Wed 10-11
  • Thu 2:30-4
  • Also by appointment
  • If you would like an in-person meeting (and you agree to mask if you are sick) we can meet in my office, St. Joseph 403
  • A Zoom appointment is also fine.

How to Book an Appointment via Google Calendar

For an in-person or Zoom visit, Seton Hill students may book a 15-minute appointment via Google Calendar. 

  • Make sure you are logged in to your SHU gmail account (and that your time zone is set appropriately).
  • When you click the link to my Google appointment calendar, you will see gray boxes that represent open appointment slots. Click one, and you will see the following.
  • You may fill out the details, or just leave them blank. Click “save” and you’ll see this message. It will automatically appear in my calendar, and I will know to save the time for you.
  • If you see the above message, your appointment has been booked. You are welcome to email me if you’d like to let me know what you’d like to discuss.
  • If for any reason you cannot make your appointment, please let me know in advance, so that I can free up the slot to help another student.

Courses

Address:

1 Seton Hill Dr.
Box 461
Seton Hill University (map)
Greensburg, PA 15601

Link Permissions: Feel free to link to any resources you find on my website. There’s no need to wait for my permission (but I’d still enjoy hearing from you).

Reprint Requests: If you want to reprint an article or a long extract, please contact me first.

Blender 3D Portfolio: Some of my CGI designs.

View Comments

  • I stumbled upon your site because I was looking for materials that dealt with quotation integration to use in my high school classroom. I absolutely love your examples on this subject and the way you separated them into the “Spot the Wordy Formula” and “All That Really Matters” columns. I printed some of this material on a word document (with attribution to you at the top) and would love to use it in my classroom if you wouldn’t mind.

    Thanks!
    Jen (AP English teacher)

  • Hi Prof. Jerz,

    Thank you for your great Blog. There are lots of great resources on there! I was hoping to get your permission to print and share your 'Short Stories: 10 Tips for Creative Writers' with my pupils and some colleagues. I've slightly edited your work into a Word file by simply putting some room under each tip for a student activity. You've been fully credited in the Word file as the author.

    Thanks again,
    Eoghan
    @NewEnglishBlog

    • Thanks for your message, Eoghan. I am glad you found my page useful. You are welcome to share printouts of the modified document as you describe. Because I periodically update my pages, I ask that you not share or post the full text in electronic form.

  • I love to write romance stories. I have some already if you like to look at one. I am just wondering if there is a way of getting a writing job as right now I don't hava a job.

    • Check the website for a publisher of novels similar to yours. There will probably be a FAQ page that describes how they handle story submissions. You might also visit your local library and check out a recent copy of Writer's Market, which is the bible for freelance writers. Alas, you won't find companies lining up to pay a nice living wage to first-time novelists, but if you have an eye for detail and accuracy, you might look into technical writing or editing as a profession. My general recommendation is a warning that any "publisher" who wants you to pay up front for the costs of editing, printing, and advertising your book, or anyone who collects hundreds of submissions into a big volume that they'll be happy to sell to you, is not reputable.

  • Hi Sir,

    Your website is a goldmine of valuable information and tips for aspiring writers. Thank you. I'm writing a short story and I have 2 questions.

    1) Can animals be featured prominently as main characters? And what about their thoughts expressed as dialogue? Is that acceptable?

    2) Can poetry be included in a short story?

    Your advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

    • 1) Why don't you read Charlotte's Web, White Fang, Black Beauty, Animal Farm, Riki Tiki Tavi, or the original Tarzan novel, and decide for yourself whether the various techniques the authors used suit the kind of story you want to tell.

      2) You are free to experiment with whatever you want, but if you mix poetry and fiction like that you aren't writing a short story or a poem, but something else that is sometimes like a story and sometimes like a poem. Tolkien has his characters sing songs and compose poems at various points in their adventures, but the story always gives a realistic explanation for why so-and-so suddenly started singing.

  • Hello, I just wanted to say I have been using your materials in a class I am teaching in PaP, Haiti and I have found it extremely helpful! I would love to hear your thoughts on how I could improve the class, I have some really talented students!
    Thank you!

  • Jan 6, 2013
    Dr. Jerz:
    I teach Creative Writing to adults, and have just come across your website by typing "Tips for Short Stories" into Google. Yours was the first site listed, so your SEO ranking must be very good.

    I am working with a group of young adults, and some older adults this week who are working to obtain their Grade 12 English in order to get their high school diploma, and have been asked to teach a 9-hr Creative Writing component of the course. They will have to hand in a 1200 word story at the end of the week.

    I'll be making reference to your site and will pass on the link, and I'd like your permission to copy some of the articles for these students, and for others with whom I work (right now my main group is comprised of active seniors in their 60s and 70s.)
    I am also a professional writer, but my published work is non-fiction. I hope to have some fiction published this year.
    I find this material very interesting and stimulating to the creative process for both fiction and non-fiction. Thank you so much for creating this site.

    I look forward to hearing from you soon.
    Cheers,
    Christine Peets
    Napanee, Ontario, Canada

    • Thanks for your note, Christine. You are welcome to link to, post brief excerpts with a link, or print out any pages from my site. All I ask is that you not republish the content elsewhere without permission.

      • Thank you, Dennis. I definitely would not infringe on your copyright and republish anything without permission.

  • Hi Dennis,
    I love reading your articles too, but when i post comments it gives me weird messages like violations, hacking and stuff. I have feeling that i have been marked as a spam and i don't see my posts anywhere in your blogs. I would appreciate if you can look into this matter and email me regarding these concerns.
    Thank you.

    • No spam-blocker is perfect, but I checked just now and did not see any comments from you that were flagged inaccurately. You might try posting without a link.

  • Good Afternoon! I wanted to send you a quick message to see if I would be able to write an article on your blog. I have experience writing on a wide range of subjects, so if there are any specific topics you would like, please let me know! Otherwise I can come up with something that would be relevant for you and the readers of your website. I look forward to hearing back from you, thanks and have a great week!

     
    Best wishes,
    Paige Taylor

    • So far I've been happy coming up with the content myself, but thanks for the offer.

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