The left side of our brain is always working away. It interferes with almost all our daily thoughts. That’s where our logical thinking exists. It’s where most writers spend the majority of their time. Particularly if they are in the editing mode. In fact, without the critical thinking of our left brains, we’d never be […]
Do Academic Writers Make Good Novelists?
I live in a college town. There are a lot of very smart people all around me, in the grocery store, in my Sunday School class, on the streets. They are everywhere. It’s no big deal to have a terminal degree (Phd, MD or Law Degree). Many of these people are experts in their particular […]
Who Are Your Writing Companions?
Recently one of my writer colleagues told me he’d lost his trusty dog. That dog sat at his feet as he scribbled book after book. When things were good, the dog was there. When things were not so good, the dog was there. Now, with the dog gone, my friend is having a hard time […]
Creating Characters that Walk off the Page #AuthorToolBoxBlogHop
Recently I hosted a little gathering at our local library and talked about my books and fiction writing. One of the questions I was asked during the workshop was how do I make my characters seem so real? What are the secrets to creating characters that seem to walk off the page? All of us […]
What Are Your Characters Eating?
Do authors need to spend lots of time describing the hamburger their main character is eating? The juicy delight of a succulent tomato sandwich? The cool refreshment of lemonade? How much is too much? In my opinion the food must have a purpose in your story #amwriting Click To Tweet In other words, if it […]
No Time Like the Present? What Tense to Write in? #AuthorToolBoxBlogHop
All writers struggle with certain creative decisions. First, whose story are they telling? That leads to questions regarding point of view. Next, when is the story happening? In other words is it happening now or in the past or in the future? If we’re writing in the present time, do we write in the present […]
When is it Time to Change Publishers?
That wonderful day when a publisher accepts your book is a day each writer remembers. Click To Tweet After sending out query after query only to get rejection after rejection, most of us cannot believe our eyes when an editor writes: “We love your work and we want to publish it.” This is especially true […]
A Writer’s Desk or a Cat’s Meow?
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 […]
What’s an Author to Do? #Inkripples
This month when we tossed the pebble in the pond and created #inkripples we looked at publishing options for writers. Check out what Kai Strand says, what Katie Carroll says and what Mary Waibel says on their blogs. Here’s my two-cents. Recently I new author told me that her journey in writing and publishing had […]
Writers Tips for Showing Feelings
The word, “feel,” connotes telling. When you say Jake felt anger, you are telling. How can a writer show feelings without telling the reader how the person felt #writingtips Click To Tweet This becomes a major conundrum in the world of creative writing. We want our characters to have feelings, strong emotions, but how do […]
