Straight talk from the sisters about blood, sweat and ink
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”
< p class=”MsoNormal”>Today the Sisters share a happy occasion, we cross the 100-post finish line. Since we only started the blog last summer, we didn’t expect to get here so fast. Or to have so much fun during the journey. Plus, we learned a lot, and shared what we learned at each step with our …
Continue reading “Writeonsisters.com Marks a Milestone: 100 posts!”
I’ve spent the past five years exploring the publishing industry from different angles: as an MFA student, as an associate literary agent, as an editor. I’ve been a writer for a lot longer than that, and my first book, Breathing through Buttonholes, was published in 2003. But the writer I was back then looks nothing like …
Continue reading “Honoring Creativity: Discerning The Angels And Demons Of Writing Advice”
I always have a pile of books on my bedside table. This month in particular I checked out more books from the library than I had time to read. At one point the pile was twelve high! Craziness! How could I possibly read them all? Well, since I have a job and stuff I’m trying …
Continue reading “Reading For Writers 101: Books I Did Not Finish… 3+ Reasons Why”
Love! Is there a more powerful force in the universe? As writers, we often need to tap into our deepest emotions, dredging for the painful, as well as the pleasant. Love manages to deliver both extremes. Devastating breakups. Giddy whirlwind infatuations. Love eludes, entangles, and enriches our lives like no other human condition. Today for …
Continue reading “Friday Inspiration: Five Romantic Treats for Valentine’s Day”
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”
Now that I’ve written several manuscripts and restored a number of classic cars, I can tell you the emotional stages of each process are nearly identical. I know that may sound hard to believe, so for those lacking the car restoration experience allow me to elaborate. Passion: No one would begin a project that sucks …
Continue reading “The 11 Emotional Stages of Writing A Novel: It’s Just Like Restoring a Car”
For a few heart-stopping moments, I considered leaving this post blank because writing sex is difficult. Seasoned writers I know avoid it like the plague. I thought maybe I’d toss in a few photos instead: one of Bigfoot and/or the Yeti; possibly a couple of anatomical drawings from a medical textbook; a quote or two …
Continue reading “Writing Sex”
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”