Today we are excited to welcome suspense writer, M.J. LaBeff” to our blog @MJLabeff Click To Tweet She’s written a number of books, including her newest release, MIND GAMES. Let’s learn more about M.J. the writer, and her books. JC: What made the “girl next door” start writing suspense stories? MJ: I’d always been a big fan of […]
3 Tips for Writing a Series
Many of today’s writers write series books with recurring characters. Sue Grafton probably takes the prize for the most books with the same character with her alphabet mystery series starring Kinsey Milhone. Typical readers breeze through these books, enjoying the stories and feeling very comfortable with the characters. Those characters that reappear become the readers’ […]
7 Tips for Writing Great Dialogue
I’ve blogged on dialogue before, but because dialogue is so important to good fiction-writing, I decided to revisit the topic. Before we look at the seven tips, let’s talk about what great dialogue is and what it isn’t #amwriting Click To Tweet First, great dialogue flows seamlessly. If the reader has to go back to […]
Dogs Teach Writers How to Reveal Emotions
Recently I read a short article discussing the way dogs read people #amwriting Click To Tweet They seem to understand their owners emotions. According to the research dogs and humans are the only species able to do this. I know my dog can read my emotions. I’ve known that for a long time. I also […]
How to Write a Book Review for Ordinary Readers
Too many of my friends and associates have not written #bookreviews on Amazon. They tell me they have never done so and it occurs to me they are reluctant. Maybe an English teacher somewhere in their past told them, “You are not a writer.” Or corrected their punctuation errors one time too many. Whatever, a […]
Why Writers Keep Writing
I’ve often wondered what keeps writers writing. As a reader, I’m grateful that people out there in the world persist in this rather unrewarding activity. I say unrewarding only in the sense of traditional rewards, e.g., money, fame. Most of what writers get instead is criticism or armchair hindsight. So why do writer’s write? I […]
Head Hopping in Fiction
I just read a very good police procedural at the request of the author. He asked me to review his book. The book was quite well done except for the occasional head-hopping. The author wrote the book in the third person point of view from the standpoint of the lead policeman. That is the usual […]
Tips to Novel Writers Who Write Short Stories
Last January I agreed to participate on a short story blog. I along with several novel writers are writing a story a month around certain themes. The blog is Lightning Quick Reads. It’s been great fun, but also a challenge. As novel writers, we often find telling our stories in 1500 words or less difficult. […]
Tips for Vanquishing Writer’s Block
A writer’s biggest fear is writer’s block. Even if you’ve never experienced it, the fact that it’s out there in the universe keeps writers on edge. Will the day come when I can’t write? Will the day come when my mind draws a complete blank? The thought is terrifying. What are some ways to make […]
Review–All The Birds, Singing by Evie Wyld
Before you start reading this unusual book, you need to understand the structure. Otherwise you will get frustrated and in all probability not finish it. That would be tragic because it is a well-written, fascinating story. Evie Wyld created a world from the point of view of a very unreliable character. Her name is Jake. […]
