Everyone writers meet advise them to “write what they know.” If writers did that, there wouldn’t be many books out there. As writers, we must go beyond what we know, but we must also base our writing on fact. Even fantasy writers must stay within the realm of believability. As a #mystery writer, I’m constantly […]
The Painful Truth: You Must Revise This!
This month’s topic in #Inkripples has to do with Revisions. I’ve suggested some tips to writers. See what the other writers in Inkripples toss into the pond. Take a look at the ripples… Add your own… Mary Waibel’s World at Katie Carroll Observation Desk and at Kai Strand’s blog. Don’t you hate people who say they never revise their work? […]
The Perils of Self-Editing
Clearly while I’m composing or creating my story, I avoid the editing trap. I prefer to wait until I’m finished before going back and doing the work of editing, revising, correcting. Nonetheless, to get into the story before I work, I must read the last little bit I’ve written. When I do that, I’m often […]
Finding the Time to Write When Life Gets in the Way
Writers struggle with finding the time to write #tips #amwriting Click To Tweet Whether they have full time jobs, whether they are retired, whether they are stay-at-home parents, finding the time to write is a problem. When writers sit at their computers at their desks at home, others do not understand that they are working. […]
When Books Don’t Seem to End
From the title of this post, you may have thought I’d be writing about books I’ve read. Indeed, there have been many a book where I’ve wondered when will this book end. The author seemed to be toying with us–drawing everything out, teasing, until we toss the book at the nearest wall. But, actually I […]
Tips for Telling a Good Story
Storytelling engages people #amwriting #writingtips Click To Tweet When you share an experience and personalize it, you create interest. Think about the times you’ve sat in big auditoriums, bored out of your mind, as speakers drone on with facts. Suddenly, a new speaker takes the podium and begins with, “When I left my house this […]
Writing Boo-Boo’s with Similes and Metaphors
In my last post, I talked about what similes and metaphors were and how writers use them to add power to their writing. What I didn’t discuss was how writers might abuse these two figures of speech. Learning what a simile is and learning how to use them are important. Learning how not to abuse […]
Similes, Metaphors, What in the World?
Beautiful writing paints word pictures #amwriting #writingtips Click To Tweet Talented writers know how to do this without overburdening the reader. Many new writers do not understand the difference between a simile and a metaphor nor do they understand how to use these figures of speech. Let’s first look at what in the world a […]
Can #Writers Break the Rules? You BetCha!
As a reader, I love it when writers break the so-called rules #amreading #writingtips Click To Tweet The more seasoned writers get creative with point-of-view without violating the main principles. They use more wordy expressions than I might and they challenge the basic rules we all hear–like not writing prologues. Sometimes there are so many […]
Unconventional Uses of Point-of-View
In my last post, I talked about how to avoid abusing point-of-view. Head-hopping is the worst possible way to write #writingtips #amwriting Click To Tweet I call it cheap writing because the author simply jumps from head to head. It is easy and takes no creativity. When forced to stay in one head or in […]
