As writers we are fascinated with people. Why? Our characters reflect real people. As such, they must act in realistic ways. We can’t have them do things that are “out of character.” We can dig deep inside ourselves and our experiences to create the people who fill our books or we can use other methods. […]
My #BookReview Five Quarters of the Orange–5 Stars
Joanne Harris, best known for Chocolat, writes about village life in France better than anyone #amreading Click To Tweet In Chocolat she created a magical place, full of interesting characters with all kinds of flaws. In Five Quarters of the Orange she does the same. But, this time, she adds quite a bit of mystery […]
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 […]
The Creation Myth (For Cat Lovers)
All my fellow cat lovers must read this! #cats #catlovers Click To Tweet The Creation Myth On the first day of creation, God created the cat. On the second day, God created man to serve the cat. On the third day, God created all the animals of the earth to serve as potential food for […]
How do you know when you’re done?
Artists tell me it’s hard to know when a painting is finished. One told me that if she works on a painting for too long, she ruins it. This reminds me of my writing. I tweak and tweak and then tweak some more. Was it better before the last tweak or after the first tweak? […]
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 […]
Tips to Write with Emotion without Overusing Exclamation Points
We all know it’s important to use good punctuation in writing our #fiction #amwriting Click To Tweet When we overuse commas, it distracts the reader. Conversely, when we leave out a comma, the reader may not understand what we are trying to say. Punctuation has an important place in the writing. But, is it the-be-all-end […]
Finalist for the Eric Hoffer Book Award 2016
We’re proud that The Clock Strikes Midnight was once again recognized for excellence #HofferAward Click To Tweet It is a finalist for the Eric Hoffer Book Award for 2016. Only ten percent of the entries reach the stage of finalist. This recognition indicates that this book is up there with the upper echelon. If you […]
4 Stars for My Brilliant Friend
My Brilliant Friend is told from the point of view of a young teen. #amreading Click To Tweet That makes it a young adult book. The writing is choppy, perhaps as a young person thinks, perhaps due to the translation. The story full of emotion about things adults do not consider life and death. When […]
Reviving an old manuscript: Pros and Cons
Recently I had the pleasure of seeing someone who read the original version of The Clock Strikes Midnight. She had read it ten to 15 years ago. It was the version written before receiving feedback about its genre misconception. The story then was told from the point of view of the two main characters when […]
