Straight talk from the sisters about blood, sweat and ink
As one year tips into the next, a lot of blogs look back as well as forward. I read an interesting post on Kristen Lamb’s blog that forecasts trends in the publishing industry, and she’s pretty spot on if you ask me. Artists in different disciplines will begin to work more collaboratively as we all …
Continue reading “Cross Training For Writers: Think Like A Film Maker”
Every family has some honored traditions at this time of year, and for many, pulling out dusty copies of a favorite holiday film numbers among them. In my house, we watch that movie snuggled up under blankets, with big bowls of popcorn and mugs of frothy hot chocolate. My kids will likely choose It’s a …
Continue reading “It IS a Wonderful Life!”
The other day I started thinking about my writing. Questioning the books I admire, and the writers who have influenced me. As with most writers, the experiences that shaped me came from many different people and places, including many of my old teachers. Oddly, some of my best mentors were not English or literature teachers …
Continue reading “What I Learned About Writing From Cookies: A True Story!”
Writing is hard work, but there’s lots to be said for what it offers: flexible hours, creative freedom, a vehicle for expression and communication. A book marks our spot in the world, reflecting our passage long after we’re gone, and even if only one person reads it, the act of leaving a tangible part of …
Continue reading “A Cruise Through the Emotional Valleys and Peaks of Writing”
National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) takes place every November. As most of you know, the goal is to compose a first draft of your novel, roughly 50,000 words during the 30 days. It works out to be a doable 1,667 words a day, but only if you sit down and write that chunk every day. …
Continue reading “Lessons From The NaNoWriMo Trenches”
About a year ago I sat down at a table with a large number of authors, some published, some not. We talked about everything, our writing successes, hopes, and failures. Toward the end of the meal, someone hit on a subject that proved a hot button for many of us. The topic in question regarded …
Continue reading “Pace, Friend or Foe?”
Let me start by saying this is not a rant. No, it’s rather an earnest endeavor to help us all get to grips with our insanity. In some of us it’s stark and raving, in others it’s a mild form of disorientation. Both can be managed, if not cured. I should add that the …
Continue reading “Writing Disorders and What to Do About Them”
For urban dwellers, nature sits apart. Most of us only see the spare, diminished nature of city parks and backyard gardens. Even these natural settings we relegate to the rear of our consciousness as we focus on the conditions around us, the cars in the street, our work cubical, a much-needed trip to the grocery …
Continue reading “Into the Wild: Creating Nature Settings”
Why do we write? Seriously, what madness drives us to spend months working long, anguished hours away from society, to timidly emerge with something we desperately hope millions of people will want to share? It doesn’t stop there, mind you. We then take a deep breath, don our armor (completely useless and ineffective) and face …
Continue reading “Harry Potter wears Fifty Shades of Grey”