Sometimes in the world of writing and publishing everything grinds to a halt #amwriting Click To Tweet There is a flurry of activity when galley’s come in or when a book is on its final stages. Then off it goes either to a publisher or to an editor. Suddenly everything stops. You wait. The dilemma […]
The Challenge and the Fun of Writing about Murder
Everyone writers meet advise them to “write what they know.” If writers did that, there wouldn’t be many books out there. As writers, we must go beyond what we know, but we must also base our writing on fact. Even fantasy writers must stay within the realm of believability. As a #mystery writer, I’m constantly […]
Logline, Tagline What’s the Difference?
Fiction writers must create a logline for their books #marketing Click To Tweet Some people call it a tagline. Are they the same? Well, apparently they are not. Both of these “lines” are short descriptions of your book, and yet they are different. Let’s look at how. Book marketeers took the concept of tagline used […]
Finding the Time to Write When Life Gets in the Way
Writers struggle with finding the time to write #tips #amwriting Click To Tweet Whether they have full time jobs, whether they are retired, whether they are stay-at-home parents, finding the time to write is a problem. When writers sit at their computers at their desks at home, others do not understand that they are working. […]
The Challenges and Fun of Writing a Murder Mystery
In this video Joan talks about the challenges and the fun of #writing a murder #mystery. Click To Tweet As a writer, you must first figure out what kind of mystery you’re gonna write. Believe it or not, there are lots of sub-genres to the mystery world. Once you make that decision, you can start […]
New Contract for New Book Means More Work!
Many people think that writing a novel is hard. Indeed it is #amwriting Click To Tweet But, I find all the little things that come after the writing even harder. In fact, most writers will tell you that the creation of the story, the evolution of the characters, the movement of the plot, all spell […]
When Books Don’t Seem to End
From the title of this post, you may have thought I’d be writing about books I’ve read. Indeed, there have been many a book where I’ve wondered when will this book end. The author seemed to be toying with us–drawing everything out, teasing, until we toss the book at the nearest wall. But, actually I […]
Tips for Telling a Good Story
Storytelling engages people #amwriting #writingtips Click To Tweet When you share an experience and personalize it, you create interest. Think about the times you’ve sat in big auditoriums, bored out of your mind, as speakers drone on with facts. Suddenly, a new speaker takes the podium and begins with, “When I left my house this […]
Writing Boo-Boo’s with Similes and Metaphors
In my last post, I talked about what similes and metaphors were and how writers use them to add power to their writing. What I didn’t discuss was how writers might abuse these two figures of speech. Learning what a simile is and learning how to use them are important. Learning how not to abuse […]
Similes, Metaphors, What in the World?
Beautiful writing paints word pictures #amwriting #writingtips Click To Tweet Talented writers know how to do this without overburdening the reader. Many new writers do not understand the difference between a simile and a metaphor nor do they understand how to use these figures of speech. Let’s first look at what in the world a […]
