Straight talk from the sisters about blood, sweat and ink
It’s been soooo long since we had coffee! I’ve missed you! But alas, it is not possible to sit down and drink hot beverages out of pretty mugs in zero gravity. You see, Robin and I were on a space mission for the Blogging A to Z Challenge. Our theme: 3, 2, 1… BLASTOFF to Stellar …
Continue reading “Weekend Coffee Share – Back from Outer Space!”
Mission Code Name: 3, 2, 1… BLASTOFF to Stellar Writing Security Clearance: Unclassified Mission Objectives: To meet new life forms and engage in shared and mutually beneficial discourse on a range of topics. Mission Status: Success! Co-Commander Rivera’s reflections report: While it is never easy to commit a month to a venture of any kind, …
Continue reading “2015 Blogging From A to Z Mission Debriefing”
This is our last Blogging A from Z post. The mission was a success and soon the space capsule will splash down. Crowds will cheer and confetti will litter the web. But before we blow the bolts on the hatch door and get some much-needed rest, let’s take a moment to reflect on everything we …
Continue reading “Z is for Zymurgy”
Heather and I both read and write young adult fiction, so we have a solid understanding of this market and what makes it tick. In the last decade, the popularity of YA has hit the stratosphere. Author megastars rise up from nowhere almost overnight. Big movie franchises and huge book deals are becoming normal events. …
Continue reading “Y is for Young Adult Fiction”
What does “x-ray” have to do with writing craft? I didn’t choose it just because I needed an “X” word for the #AtoZChallenge, or because I already used “x-rated” for last year’s post (X-Rated: Should YA Books Have a Rating System?), but because all writers need to be able to check the spine of their …
Continue reading “X is for X-Ray”
Being a writer can take a toll on us, physically, emotionally and mentally. When we get engrossed in writing, it’s easy to forget to look after ourselves. So I’ve come up with three things I am going to try to do every day to take better care of myself… 3 Tips for Writer Wellbeing Stretch. …
Continue reading “W is for Writer Wellbeing”
For writers, words make the Earth spin round. We can battle extraterrestrial invaders or colonize a new galaxy all with the power of our language. We use words every day, and yet we still want to blast them with a death ray when they refuse to obey. Today it’s all about the words and the …
Continue reading “V is for Vocabulary”
I love unreliable narrators because they go hand-in-hand with surprise endings. No matter the genre, when a narrator is not telling the truth there is mystery in the story. 3 Tips for Writing Unreliable Narrators Track the truth. Whether the narrator is lying on purpose or not, you the writer need to keep track of …
Continue reading “U is for Unreliable Narrators”
Writing a book is not as labor intensive as, say, launching a space mission, but sometimes it feels like it is. I use Trello to keep my sanity in check. It helps me manage all my brainstorming, to do lists, blog posts, home repairs, work deadlines and even my kid’s schedules…all in one place. And …
Continue reading “T is for Trello”
In the predawn light we commit them. We are breathless from a looming deadline, or perhaps blinded to our mistakes by pride. We might try to hide them. We dress them in setting and disguise them with witty dialogue. We pray no one will notice our blunder. Yet the error remains, a viper coiled within …
Continue reading “S is for Sins”