As a reader, I love it when writers break the so-called rules #amreading #writingtips Click To Tweet The more seasoned writers get creative with point-of-view without violating the main principles. They use more wordy expressions than I might and they challenge the basic rules we all hear–like not writing prologues. Sometimes there are so many […]
Who or What Pulls Your Strings?
I’m sitting at my computer today, thinking about the world, fearful of the future and wondering who or what pulls your strings. Who and what makes you do what you do? Who motivates you? Having just listened to Meryl Streep’s moving speech at the 2017 Golden Globes, I wondered what went through this great actress’s […]
The Messiness of Point of View
By now, if you’ve been reading my blog, you know how much I detest head hopping #writingtips Click To Tweet It is distracting and cheapens the writing. That doesn’t mean I don’t like hearing what other characters are thinking. There’s just a way to do that correctly. As a reader, I love the way writers […]
I May Be A Good Writer, But I’m a Lousy Editor!
Editing is the bane of my existence #amwriting #amediting Click To Tweet I know some writers are also good editors. They catch every little comma error or word left out. They see all the echoed words and shake their fingers at me when I misspell so common a word as “quiet.” What in the world […]
Writers Using Scrivener or Not?–Pros and Benefits
If you’re a writer, you’ve probably heard of Scrivener @scrivenerapp #writingtips Click To Tweet This is a writing tool designed to help organize the unfocused, creative minds of writers. I wonder how F. Scott Fitzgerald or Faulkner might have responded to something like Scrivener? My initial reaction was it would take me too long to […]
When You Just Gotta Laugh
I’m sure few writers will tell you that they enjoyed reading the critiques from their editors #amwrting Click To Tweet Most of us would rather pull our teeth than open the document that’s been nitpicked apart. But, I have to say. Some of my errors are really funny and I’m grateful to my readers for […]
The Durrells in Corfu. Lessons about Confidence and Taking Risks
I’ve been watching a new #Masterpiece series, #DurrellsPBS in Corfu #TV @masterpiecepbs Click To Tweet It’s the story about how a young widow and her four children pack their bags and leave England for the island of Corfu. The oldest of the Durrell children is Lawrence Durrell (Larry to his family). He is a […]
Tips from Famous Writers
Recently I watched a video with tips from famous writers. It was all about the joy and heartache of writing. Stephen King, JK Rowling, Maeve Binchy, Anne Rice and more talk about their writing experiences. Most agree that writing is not something that is mechanized #writingtip Click To Tweet As one writer put it, get on […]
Tips for Writing Animals into Your Stories
I love to read books when the characters are pet owners #amwriting #animals Click To Tweet Whether the pet is a dog or cat, I enjoy reading about the interaction of the character with the pet. Pet owners have unique responsibilities that writers should not take lightly. My protagonist in the Jenna Scali mystery series […]
He Said–She Said: Tips for Tagging
New writers make the mistake of tagging dialogue whenever a person speaks #writingtips Click To Tweet They believe the reader must be told who is speaking at all times. When I first began writing fiction, I made the same errors. I committed a number of the mistakes I’m going to list below. Now, I’m a […]
