Straight talk from the sisters about blood, sweat and ink
I love finding tools that help me work more efficiently as a writer. I’ve already written posts on using several of these tools, particularly Trello, a project management app I’m crazy about. I also use Dragon Naturally Speaking. This is a voice recognition software program that allows for hands-free writing. I used Dragon the first …
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This week while flushing out my novel’s outline, I decided to track where I raised and answered questions in the story. Why? Because questions are crucial to a good story; they ensure it has enough intrigue and suspense to keep readers reading. Have you ever set down a book and not been compelled to pick …
Continue reading “5 Reasons to Track Questions & Answers in Your Novel”
As promised back in July, I’m revisiting the topic of the ongoing developments in the Amazon Kindle Unlimited program, or KU2 as some people are calling it. Now that the actual first per-page rates have been revealed (this came out on Aug. 15th) everyone knows exactly how much royalties they’ve earned in July. The numbers …
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I began listening to audiobooks a few months ago. Though if I’m honest, it all started with the SERIAL podcast. Unable to resist the hype, I jumped on that bandwagon and was not disappointed – great storytelling! After it was over, I was in the habit of listening to something while I did dishes every …
Continue reading “Audiobook Pitfall: Lack of Dialogue Tags + 1st Person POV”
If we were having coffee, I’d lament that it is already August. How is that possible? Didn’t the summer just start? I seriously do not understand how time passes so fast. My mom used to say that time passes faster the older you get, but I didn’t really believe her until I hit my 30s. …
Continue reading “Weekend Coffee Share – Bike Raving”
Frenemies are the staple for conflict-packed stories. It’s a relationship dynamic that runs the gambit of emotions. It’s the subtle barbs of a disgruntled coworker. It’s the lingering sad but quietly malevolent vibe of a jilted ex-lover. And it’s the deliberate backstabbing of a fair-weather friend. Frenemies of every kind are particularly popular in teen …
Continue reading “Writing Frenemies: Love, Hate, & In-Between”
I have worked as a television screenwriter for most of my adult life, and currently I’m working as a video game writer. Some of WOS’s readers have asked me how to get work as a writer, and I was reluctant to write a post about that because it’s such an individual question. My story is specific …
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A few weeks ago I wrote about the great untrunking of Harper Lee’s GO SET A WATCHMAN. It sparked much debate in our comments section. Many felt Lee’s book was never intended for public eyes and should have stayed trunked. While others felt glad the book came out of hiding. True confessions time: I’m a …
Continue reading “Trunking Exposed: 4 Reasons to Trunk a Novel”
Robin told me that in about two weeks stores will shift from back-to-school specials to Halloween masks and décor, which I think is kind of wacky considering summer just started up here in Toronto. But fall is coming and some writers are shifting into Halloween mode too, especially if they are hoping to release a novella or short …
Continue reading “Horror Writing Round-Up”
A few weeks ago, Heather told everyone about her experiences writing a video-game script for LongStory. The branching, non-linear style of the game structure was very different from the TV scripts Heather normally writes. At the time, we discussed how much the structure reminded us of interactive novels. These are books often marketed under one …
Continue reading “8 Tips for Interactive Storytelling”