I recently interviewed a writer who told me in no uncertain terms that she was not a pantser. I asked, “What is that?” She explained that a pantser was a writer who wrote by the seat of his/her pants. She explained that pantsers do not use outlines or other tools to organize their plots or […]
Tips for Writers Who Blog
Many of my writing colleagues ask me what to blog about. I thought I would share some of my ideas and I’d love to hear yours. What to Blog about #1: Blog about your books Click To Tweet Ok, this is obvious. When you have reviews of your books or new releases, you need to […]
Tips for Finding Time to Write
As a writer one of our biggest problems is time #museitup #writingtips Click To Tweet To complete an entire books takes time and discipline. Many writers write early in the morning before the family wakes up #museitup #writingtips Click To Tweet They do this to avoid interruptions. Once you get a story going and your […]
Tips for Writers Wanting to Use Pinterest
People are visual consumers as much as they are visual learners #pinterest Click To Tweet With all the social media outlets bombarding us every day, it’s hard to narrow down the best place for writers to spend their social media time. Several writer friends suggested I take a look at the fast-growing Pinterest. My response […]
Tips for Researching Fiction
How much research do fiction writers do? Many people believe that fiction requires little research #writingtips Click To Tweet Nonfiction writers must research more. I have written both fiction and nonfiction and I believe both require a lot of research. Take a look at this video in which I talk about some of the research […]
Spotlight on Thriller Writer Paul Carr
We are fortunate today to welcome three-time published author, Paul Carr. Paul will talk about his experience as a writer of mystery/thriller fiction and his latest book, Black Palmetto. JC: Hi Paul and welcome to my blog. It’s great having another Southern born writer to talk today. Tell me how has living in the South affected […]
5 Tips for Writing Action Scenes
For some writers creating action scenes comes easy. For others they are harder. I come from a journalism background. I learned how to write in short, distinct sentences and how to look for key points quickly. These traits make it easier for me to write action scenes than it might be for someone coming from […]
Do You Use an Outline to Write Your Novels?
When do you use an outline? I use outlines in nonfiction. Nonfiction writing is conducive to the rigors of outlining. There are fiction writers, however, who use outlines. I’ve never been able to stay with an outline while writing fiction. That means I often have to edit a lot! #writingtips Click To Tweet Every […]
Tips about Researching Fiction–Joan Says
Joan Curtis, author of The Clock Strikes Midnight, shares writing tips and lessons #writingtips Click To Tweet This video addresses the research that needs to be done when writing fiction. Take a look and share your ideas! What do you research and how do you do it? Before your writing or after?
Eight Basics for Creative Writing
Recently I ran across Kurt Vonnegut’s 8 Basics of Creative Writing. These 8 basics should be the foundation for novel writing 101. Unfortunately many novels break the rules. Some break the rules and create a successful novel; others break the rules and do not. In my view a novelist who breaks too many of these […]
