Straight talk from the sisters about blood, sweat and ink
Sister Sharon’s post about NaNoWriMo got me thinking. Writers have different ways to get productive – the output varies, but the method usually stays the same for each of us. Like superstitious sportsmen, we follow a pattern that seems to work for us. I have my own preparation method, but I’ve heard of others who do …
Continue reading “NaNoWriMo and the Night of Writing Dangerously.”
You know I’ve enrolled in a writing course at the Visual Arts Center in my neighborhood. I’d been looking for an art class but inadvertently stumbled on their writing program. The first meeting was good, the second, not so much, but the third? Well, awesome. We critiqued each other’s first drafts of a short story …
Continue reading “Do as You Like: A Lesson from Michaelangelo”
We’re running retro-posts for Robin while she’s moving into her new house. Hurry back, Robin, we miss you! The ability to mass produce books gave birth to the popular novel, the Bronte Sisters, George Sand and perhaps one of the best-loved novelists of all time, Jane Austen. Since Austen’s first book was released over two centuries …
Continue reading “Retro Robin: You Are Mistaken, Mr. Darcy: How to Use Literature to Build Your Fiction Vocabulary”
When I posted a few years ago about the upcoming NaNoWriMo, one of my Facebook friends asked me if NaNoWriMo was a new boutique stuffed animal for grandparents to buy. Uh, no. I was taken aback at first, but, really, National Novel Writing Month would only be familiar to those of us who chose writing …
Continue reading “NaNoWriMo is NOT a Cuddly Stuffed Animal”
Last week I blogged about the difference between critique partners and cheerleaders (answer these 5 questions to find out which is which). In short, cheerleaders are friends or family members who cheer us on and love our writing no matter how bad it is. Cherish their enthusiasm, but never rely on them for helpful feedback. …
Continue reading “Not All Feedback is Created Equal”
Everyone loves a thrill, be it pleasurable or terrifying; that tremor that excites you and makes you gasp. You realize you’re holding your breath. It’s probably my favorite story to read, one where you’re on the edge of your seat, you can’t turn the pages fast enough, your eyes dart to the bottom of the …
Continue reading “What We’re Reading for September: YA Thrillers”
I posted Tuesday about characteristics of bad boys in books and how to write believable ones. In doing research for that post, I gathered so much information, that I thought I’d share the leftovers here. Well, not really leftovers, actually, since this is new content, but the content is complementary to what I posted Tuesday. …
Continue reading “Writing “Bad Boys” in Romance”
I reported last week that I’m taking a writing class, billed as “intermediate level” but after two meetings I’ve concluded that most of the participants are newbies. It’s forced me to reflect on how I wound up as a writer: a former science teacher/administrator who became possessed by the sudden and uncontrollable urge to write …
Continue reading “Fiction as Art: Going Back to the Beginning”
We’re running a retro-post for Robin this week while she’s moving into her new house…actually her very first post! Hurry back, Robin, we miss you! It’s funny how some journeys sound idyllic on paper. You set forth with clear blue skies and total assurance of your own capabilities, and then the wind kicks up. Within seconds, you’re lost among …
Continue reading “Retro Robin Post: Defeat Fear & Leap”
Bad Boys. You see the fall coming as she tries to make Mr. Wrong into Mr. Right. You’d like to warn her, but you know she has to come to the conclusion herself. Odds are he won’t change. But you know, if she changed her bad boy into a more conventional one, she wouldn’t want …
Continue reading “Tips to Write “Bad Boys in Books””