Do you ever look around and wonder what people are thinking? #amwriting Click To Tweet As you walk down the hall at work or through the aisles in the grocery store, do you imagine thoughts in other people’s heads? Are they thinking about how much their feet hurt or wondering what their spouse will get […]
What is the Bane of Your Writing Existence?
Okay so all writers say they love writing. None will tell you the things that cause them headaches #amwriting Click To Tweet The things that make them want to pull their hair out and wish for another career. Instead, they’ll say what fun it is to create worlds and people and stories. And, yes, that’s […]
Rainy Days and Sundays–Learning the Discipline of Writing
On beautiful crisp days when the sun is shining, it’s often hard to pull out the computer and plug away at that masterpiece. Our friends are going out biking or hiking up a magnificent mountain. Rainy days are a much better alternative. But, if you only write when it rains, it’s going to take you […]
What Hooks You?
I’ve often wondered what might hook my readers #amreading Click To Tweet Is it the characters? The plot? Unanswered questions? What kinds of things hook you and keep you reading? For me the characters are what keep me turning the pages. Some of the books I read have little plot, not much action, but I […]
Tips for Coming Up with the Perfect Title
My recent WIP has me scratching my head for a title #amwriting #title Click To Tweet For some reason it’s not jumping off the page. But then again, now that I think about it, I’ve never had a book title jump off the page. I usually agonize over various versions before I settle on that […]
Tips to Deal with the Let-Down When Your Novel is Finished
How do you feel once you’ve finished a novel? #amwriting Click To Tweet Okay, so you might say, “I’m never finished.” I feel that way as well. It seems there’s always tweaking. But, once the novel is sent off, gone, out of your reach, how do you feel? Good? At a loss? Jumping up and […]
What about Product Placement?
Writers are told to make their fiction specific. Instead of writing a general statement like, he ate a hamburger, be more specific–he at a BigMac. But, what are the rules for product placement? #amwriting Click To Tweet Readers do want to envision the place and what the characters are doing. If we are too general, […]
The Woes of Writing that First Chapter
Don’t you wish you had more time to capture readers than the first chapter? #amwriting Click To Tweet In the old days, that was the case. Back when Trollop and Jane Austen were writing, they had at least two chapters before readers gave up on them. Many of today’s literary writers have the luxury of […]
What About the Setting? Tips for Making Your Setting Real
I love the “cold” mysteries. Those set in the cold regions–Sweden, Iceland, Norway. Why do I love those books? I love the settings. The characters are all excellent as well, but its the settings that keep me coming back time and again. In Henning Mankell’s series the setting, a small town in Sweden, plays as […]
People People Your Books–Eyes Wide Open!
One of the best habits you can cultivate as a writer is the power of observation. People all around you give you amazing content. Whether it’s the obnoxious barista that won’t even look at you or the friendly cashier at the local market. Everyone you encounter provide a wonderful panoply of characterizations. The only thing […]
