I’ve found that it’s common among writers to have random lines pop into our heads at any time of the day or night. It’s just as common, and I’m also guilty of it, to think, “That’s wonderful, I really like that.” Then, the thought vanishes back into the mist. I started a practice a few… Read More Writing Wednesday: Keep the random lines
I never dreamed I’d be a plotter. The very idea of an outline made my head hurt and erased the desire to write a single word. Now… now I am a plotter. At least for Half-Life of a Soul.
Like most people who write but also have the day job, it’s often a battle to get the space to write, even with good planning and time management. Still, when I feel I’m not making progress, I can open the folder on the computer and see that I am. The number of chapters, the word… Read More Writing Wednesday: Carving Out Time
I’ve found that having a deadline keeps me writing. For some authors, a deadline is a surefire way to make sure no writing happens, ever. Something about that date looming in the future will reveal exactly which sort of author you are. Working on deadlines, or needing them like I do, isn’t good or bad.… Read More Writing Wednesday: Setting Goals and Deadlines
Congrats on the finished MS! Now, slow down. It’s tempting to throw your work at every available opening. I know. You want to see it in the stores as fast as you can. Like everything else with writing, there is still a right and wrong way to go about the search. When you start looking… Read More Writing Wednesday: Newbie Pitfalls: Not Researching Agents/Publishers
In my writing files I have a story I first drafted in 1993. Why isn’t it finished? Well, life and raising children intervened. I saved it, faithfully converting the document type from version to version of Word. Now, releasing that story would require a complete overhaul. I’d have to alter some of the tropes in… Read More Writing Wednesday: Newbie Pitfalls: Wrong Time Period
It doesn’t matter where you are in your writing career, you need feedback on your writing. You need editing and you need beta readers. I see a lot of people online worrying about having their work stolen. It’s a valid concern, of course. It isn’t half so common as some believe, though. There are sites… Read More Writing Wednesday: Newbie Pitfalls: No Feedback
Continuing on in the newbie pitfalls is one I haven’t fallen into, except that it prevents me from being able to tell certain stories. I have ideas for horror and science fiction, but very little knowledge of the genre in books. I know horror movies. I love a good haunted house story! I will watch… Read More Writing Wednesday: Newbie Pitfalls: Not Knowing the Genre
In which I use myself as a bad example.… Read More Writing Wednesday: Newbie Pitfalls: Backstory
I’m going to write from experience. I’m not exactly a newbie anymore, but I’m also not what I would call “highly experienced.” I have learned a few things though. New authors make mistakes, and it’s fine that we do! We’re learning! The skills take time to develop. No one wakes up and builds a skyscraper… Read More Writing Wednesday: Newbie pitfalls: The opening
Kambry Ellis 