Straight talk from the sisters about blood, sweat and ink
The good days for a writer usually revolve around a day when the words flow, the images form, and the plot thickens. It’s our own personal heaven and we tuck ourselves into bed that night with a sense of immense satisfaction. But also as writers, we subject ourselves to constant criticism, as do all artists. …
Continue reading “A Ray of Sunshine: When a Writer Has a Good Day (#abna)”
Seems as if we were on a love theme last week. A little late, we should have hit this in February! Robin wrote about love archetypes, in her post of the same name, a concept I’d never thought much about when writing a love scene, probably because my lovers develop their character traits as I …
Continue reading “Writing the Love Scene: Part II”
My first foray into writing led me to an uncomfortable place: writing the love scene— and so I decided to do a little research before I made a total fool of myself. Since it was a YA novel, it was tame compared to what I’ve currently written, but I quickly understood that the elements are …
Continue reading “Writing the Love Scene: Sex or No Sex”
Okay, I’m admitting this right up front. I may be making this up. However, I do believe these memories are real. I have a vivid recollection of the first “grown-up” book I read; Heidi, by Johanna Spyri, originally published in 1880 and in German: A tale about a little Swiss girl and her grandfather. I’d …
Continue reading “Friday Inspiration: Homage to Shirley Temple/ Writing Stories with Unabashed Optimism”
I’m an impostor. I know it. And I can’t believe no one’s called me out on it. I pretend to be a writer but I can’t claim erudition when it comes to writing. I’m a student of science and math, the rules of which I’ve studied extensively and understand. I love the rubrics of math. …
Continue reading “Ignorance is Bliss: Breaking Writing Rules, Continued…”
A former writing coach once stated emphatically, “Never start with a dream.” He had lots of other rules about beginning a novel: never in a moving vehicle, never at a funeral, or with an alarm clock, with the weather, dialogue, and a whole host of other stratagems of setting. In fact, there were so …
Continue reading “Should Novels Start with Dreams? Dare to Break the Rules!”
Be forewarned. I’m on a tear. Again, or maybe it’s the same one. I never considered myself one who believes in, or expects, the proverbial happy ending, at least not all of the time. (Although I do love one.) Admittedly, as a child, The Lucy Show frustrated me because it always ended with Lucy, Ethel frequently at her side, …
Continue reading “Dark and Cynical Stories? Not a Fan”
As I surge forward in my growth as a writer I often reflect on the speech patterns learned from my family. It wasn’t until I attended college that I realized my mother should have been nicknamed “The Cliché Queen.” I thought everyone spoke that way until someone pointed it out to me. I still struggle …
Continue reading “Plant a Garden: On Becoming a Word Gatherer”
UnderCovers Part I: Alyx The old adage goes: Write what you know, and this is particularly pertinent in regard to location. There was a good deal of criticism about E.L James’ depiction of Seattle, WA, many saying she had some of the roads incorrect and the time it took to get her characters around was inaccurate. …
Continue reading “Friday Inspiration: Research Your Setting”
As fiction writers we get to play God. We create an entire universe (unfortunately it takes longer than seven days) and have total control over our characters, even to the point of who lives and dies. It’s a heady experience and one we shouldn’t take lightly. Killing a major character is fraught with danger, so, …
Continue reading “A Time to Kill: The Death of a Major Character”