Straight talk from the sisters about blood, sweat and ink
Last June, I started a ghost story for Camp NaNoWriMo. I really liked this idea. I’d set it in a historical period (the Gilded Age) which I know well. I’d selected a location I loved working with (Newport, RI) but for some reason the story wouldn’t gel. I had a beatsheet and an expanded outline …
Continue reading “Writer Struggles: 6 Steps to Get Unstuck”
Last year we ran a whole series of posts called Masterplots Theater from A to Z. Because we had some plots that started with the same letters, we had to cut several fantastic masterplots. ‘Forbidden Love’ was one of our unhappy victims as Heather wrote about the Fool Triumphant Masterplot instead. We did cover several …
Continue reading “Using the Forbidden Love Masterplot”
Sorry for our brief absence. Did you miss us? Heather and I needed some down time. We logged an insane number of blogging hours during April and our work, writing, health and family lives were starting to suffer. The vacation did its job brilliantly. We’re excited to get back to work and have some fantastic …
Continue reading “Story Twinkies: Do You Need One?”
It’s week two of the Blogging from A to Z Challenge, and time for our next installment of Masterplots Theater. Episodes thus far include: – A is for Adventure – B is for Buddy Love If you like focusing on a strong central character, creating clear-cut moral conflicts and enjoy getting down and dirty with …
Continue reading “Masterplots Theater: C is for Chosen One”
Today we bring back one of our favorite guest bloggers, Cindy McCraw Dircks. We first met Cindy about three years ago and it has been a pleasure to watch her journey from first draft to newly agented writer. It’s extra special for Robin since she was an early beta reader on the very project that …
Continue reading “Guest Post: Writing Sci-Fi”
I’m fascinated by story structure, particularly by stories that are not perfectly linear. I love reading parallel plotlines, stream of consciousness narratives and stories with reverse chronology. I’ve experimented with all of these forms. And that means I’ve written a flashforward. A flashforward is a scene that takes place outside of the current timeline of …
Continue reading “Writing a Flashforward”
Overwriting is a common problem for new writers. Even experienced writers can fall victim to the issue. It’s something, as a reader, that drives me nuts. It’s also something I’m guilty of needing friendly reminders about in my own early drafts. Overwriting is defined as: a tendency to write too much, or too ornately. A …
Continue reading “12 Tips to avoid Overwriting”
It’s easier to have discussions about foreshadowing techniques when almost everyone knows the story. Since The Fault in Our Stars (TFIOS) was a runaway YA crossover bestseller and a major motion picture, I’m using it for my examples. Fingers crossed I’m not spoiling this story for too many people. Foreshadowing is a technique used to …
Continue reading “Foreshadowing: Tips to Create Mood & Tone”
I spend a lot of time around writers, and we all share one commonality, we occasionally get stuck. However, why we run face first into the brick wall of writer’s block often differs. I believe there are three main types of writer’s block, they are: Courage Collapse, Story Cave In and Content Vacuum. And I …
Continue reading “Chipping Away at Writer’s Block”
It’s Archive Revive Day! I’m swamped with gymnastics coach training this month, so this re-post is appropriate… Originally posted on Feb. 10, 2014. Updated Oct. 5, 2015 I had two childhood dreams – be a novelist and be a gymnast. I was a strange juxtaposition of sedentary nerd kid lying on the couch reading for …
Continue reading “What Gymnastics Taught Me About Writing”