Straight talk from the sisters about blood, sweat and ink
One of the sources I love to tap into when I’m writing historical fiction is ephemera. Ephemera are paper objects meant to serve a short-term function and be disposed of at the end of their useful lifespan. Some of the many items that fall into this category are product labels, railroad tickets, dressmakers patterns and …
Continue reading “Friday Inspiration: Historical Ephemera”
If you read this blog you know I’m passionate about kids reading, especially boys. Over the years I’ve logged a lot of hours as a literacy volunteer including a full year with a group of hard core “reluctant” readers, and working with some second language learners. However, this year I started teaching creative writing and …
Continue reading “Mentoring Kid Writers”
You’re typing, and you stop for a moment to pick your soda can. It’s chilled, and the caffeine is just what you needed. Before you know it your soda can, complete with it’s internationally recognized brand name, morphs from the reality of your tabletop into the fictional hands of your character. And just that quick …
Continue reading “Zippos, Zippers and Zeppelins, oh my! Trademark Tips for Writers”
She sneaks up on me. A snarl freezes me, my fingers dance between the send and delete keys. The caustic drip of saliva trickles over my shoulder, splashing down on my keyboard in icy pools. She perches next to me, urging me to backspace my wretched pages into oblivion. It’s the yeti inside my brain! …
Continue reading “The Yeti Inside My Brain!”
T is for Team, Twitterific, and Talent There was never any doubt in my mind, if I ever wanted to participate in a blog, it had to be a Team effort. When we started Write On Sisters we never thought we would be as successful or have as much fun as we are today. Now …
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Happy 2014 Earth Day everyone! This is one of my favorite holidays, and anyone who follows my posts knows I’m crazy about Old Mother Earth, and I write about her as often as I can. Luckily for me, the other sisters haven’t told me to give it a rest. Yet! Here are excerpts from two …
Continue reading “Surprising, Sensational and Strange, it’s Nature!”
While I would argue that a woman can play any character, hero, villain, mentor, the Queen might be considered the most dynamic of the female archetypes. Queens are by nature powerful and public, making them ideal protagonists or antagonists. I had a hard time picking my top queens, but here are three of my favorites. …
Continue reading “Casting Call: Queens, The Archetype of Female Power”
Thirty years ago we wouldn’t be debating the viability of prologues. Readers assumed writers would build their world and characters a little before diving into the thick of the story’s plot. Now including a prologue can trigger an instantaneous pass from agents, editors and readers alike. So how did we end up in this mess, …
Continue reading “Pro the Prologue or Against?”
I’ve never been a fan of graphic horror. I have vivid memories of burying my face in my boyfriend’s shoulder whenever our friends talked us into watching a horror movie. However, I love gothic tales, the darker and creepier the better. I will always drop whatever I’m doing to watch black and white episodes of …
Continue reading “Nightstalkers and Nightmares”
We hear it all the time: There are no new stories! Nowhere is this sentiment more potentially accurate than with historical fiction. But is it really true? Or is this a case of needing more out-of-the box thinking? Here are three ways to re-imagine the research. Take one tip or use all three and leave …
Continue reading “Historical Fiction: 3 Tips for Leaving the Slush Pile Behind”