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 […]
How Your Communication Affects Your Writing–#AuthorToolboxBlogHop
As my first post for the Author’s Toolbox Blog Hop, I wanted to talk about how communication affects our writing. As a communication’s coach, I find this topic quite interesting. Take a look at the other blogger’s posts here. You’ll learn all kinds of tips and tools for writers. How well do you communicate? Some […]
What are your favorite writing blogs?
As part of my nomination for the Liebster Award in recognition of my blog posts, I must identify eleven other blogs that I like or that provide good writing content. I’m going to list my first six here and my hope (fingers crossed) you will provide me with some other ideas. There are many excellent […]
#Tips for Creating a Supporting Cast
As creators or fiction, we must develop believable characters #writingtips Click To Tweet Often we focus on our heroes and villains and rightly so. But, we must also think about those people in the background. How important are they to our story? What are they like and how do they move the story along? The […]
Whom are You Blogging to?
As I consider my #blog posts, I always ask myself who might read that post Click To Tweet Am I writing it for fellow writers or for readers? Because most writers are readers, you might say I’m doing both all the time. But, readers aren’t necessarily writers. Readers may not be interested in the latest […]
When Your Hero becomes Your Villain #Inkripples
The hero/villain dichotomy has become very blurred in recent years #inkripples Click To Tweet With the rise of Walter White in Breaking Bad, heroes become villains and vice versa. Do you find yourself reading a book and rooting for the bad guy? If so, the writer has done a nice job of reversing roles. The […]
Submit, Wait, Re-submit, Wait. The story of a writer’s life
You submit your work to a publisher, agent, editor, reader and you wait. #writingtips Click To Tweet The time lag between submission and response can be as much as six months. During that lag, what do you do (besides worry)? As for me, the last time I went through this, I was in the middle […]
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 […]
