I publish new blog posts twice a week. I’ve done that now for four years. Looking back, I see I often write about similar things. My audience is both writers and readers. Some of my posts are directed specifically to writers and others to readers. Some to both. As I examine what I write week […]
Let’s Talk about Writer’s Block–There Ain’t No Such Thing!
I doubt you’ll find a writer who hasn’t heard of writer’s block #writersblock #amwriting Click To Tweet I’m here to tell you that I don’t like the word block. It’s scary. That word suggests that I’m all blocked up and words can’t come out of me. OMG! I can’t even imagine such a thing. I’m […]
Tips for Dealing with Feedback on Your WIP
Writers usually work in solitude #amwriting Click To Tweet They create events, characters and stories and then they ask for feedback. While in solitude, we allow our creative minds to take us places that are often unexpected, surprising and sometimes startling. When we permit ourselves to move in the realm of creativity, we find we […]
A Writer’s Desk or a Cat’s Meow?
Here’s a photo of my writer’s desk #amwriting Click To Tweet What do you think? Conducive to writing? I don’t think a lot about my writing environment, but it is important to occasionally stop and take a look around. Many writers have to have quiet in order to go inside themselves and into the world […]
Tips for Writing from your Imagination
I recently finished reading, My Name is Lucy Barton, by Elizabeth Stout. This Pulitzer-Prize-winning author created a compelling story in this new novel. I plan to review it next week. Meantime, I wanted to examine how writers write from their imagination. Terry Gross on the nationally acclaimed radio program, Fresh Air, asked Stout if the […]
World Building for Mystery Writers #Inkripples
This month’s topic for the #inkripples is world building. As a mystery writer and not a fantasy or sci-fi writer, my job as a “world builder” is quite different. But, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. As writers we are all, regardless of genre, building a world around our characters. In mystery that world is […]
Tips to Avoid Cliches–That Dreaded Word
When an editor writes: “This is cliche,” I cringe #writingtips Click To Tweet I understand what that means, and I work hard to avoid those ‘trite’ expressions that haunt every writer. But, I do know one thing. People talk in cliches. Have you ever heard anyone say something like, “I’m colder than my mom’s house […]
Writers Tips for Showing Feelings
The word, “feel,” connotes telling. When you say Jake felt anger, you are telling. How can a writer show feelings without telling the reader how the person felt #writingtips Click To Tweet This becomes a major conundrum in the world of creative writing. We want our characters to have feelings, strong emotions, but how do […]
A Time to Work and a Time to Rest
The creative mind cannot work in a pressure cooker #writingtips Click To Tweet If we want people to come up with new ideas or create exciting stories for books and films, we must allow them time to rest and sleep as well as work. Perhaps we’ve always known this truth. Often people ask writers about […]
When Everything Grinds to a Halt
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 […]
