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 […]
What Works and What Doesn’t Work in Writing Fiction
As I’ve studied the art of fiction writing, I’ve learned that it is much more an art than a science. What works one day is proved false the next. What readers eat up today, they toss aside tomorrow. Clearly the art of writing fiction takes patience and a willingness to push the envelope. I’m reading […]
Tips for Underwriting your Overwriting
As a writer who creates something from nothing, I often catch myself overwriting. If you are a big name writer, editors leave your overwriting in your books and readers learn to skim and sigh. If you’re not so famous, you must catch your own overwriting and learn to under write. By under write, I mean […]
What in the World is Writer’s Block?
I recently heard experts talking about the difficulties in finishing creative projects. Basically they were discussing the effects of writer’s block. On the program, hosted by Studio 360, psychiatrists and psychologists and people who study the brain explored whether or not writer’s block is real. Some people believe writer’s block is an excuse people use […]
Are You a Split-Personality Writer?
I recently saw the movie The Lady in the Van with Maggie Smith. This is the story about a homeless woman who parks her van in Alan Bennett’s driveway for fifteen years. It is a true story. One aspect of the movie I found interesting was Mr. Bennett’s writing style. He played two roles: his […]
Tips for Starting a New Novel
I recently started a new novel. I began with a germ of an idea and it has grown and emerged since. Because we all write in different ways, I thought I’d share some of my tips for starting a new novel and ask my writer friends to add a few of theirs. Working on a […]
Tips on How Not to Let Others Squelch Your Creativity
Recently I heard someone say, “I tried to write a novel, but when my wife read it, she said…” Usually a negative comment from a loved one or a friend, will squelch our creativity in an instant #amwriting #creativity Click To Tweet Quicker than my foot will squelch a bug. As artists, whether literary artists […]
Tips Josephine Tey Teaches #Mystery Writers
Josephine Tey was a brilliant mystery writer #amwriting #writingtips #mystery Click To Tweet She wrote in the 1930’s and 1950’s. Her books followed no set formula, and I’d say she might have been one of the first pantser writers. Those outliners who put us pantsers down might take a long look at a writer like […]
Conversations with Alice Walker
Recently I had the pleasure of seeing Alice Walker in person #amreadig @alicewalker1944 Click To Tweet The great Pulitzer Prize winning author talked about herself, her writing and her passion. As the author of The Color Purple, she attracted people of all colors, sizes, shapes and backgrounds to hear her. In fact, the tickets sold […]
What Does A Writer’s Day Look Like?
The image of a writer getting up in the morning with a cup of coffee and spending the early hours at his or her computer is what most of us imagine. We see Jane Austen at her desk in the vicarage with an ink pen and paper while watching the sun rise from her two-story […]
