Failures and Triumphs

December 15, 2017 Publishing business, Soul searching, Writing craft, Writing life

It’s been an interesting time for me in the world of writing and writer friends. I’m so pleased that two of my favorite authors—Kris Waldherr and Nancy Bilyeau—have sold historical ... Read more

NaNoWriMo tips from the experts

November 17, 2017 Editing, Publishing business, Writing craft, Writing life

I’ll be brief. Here are some really good tips about writing a novel, from a whole bunch of industry experts. Take a look!

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Story vs. History

November 12, 2017January 11, 2018 Research, Writing craft, Writing life

I was at a writing workshop a couple of months ago, and one of the participants commented that writing historical fiction is easy, because the story is already there. I ... Read more

Me and NaNoWriMo

November 10, 2017November 10, 2017 Editing, Writing craft, Writing life

Yes, I have done (and am doing) NaNoWriMo. So are many of my serious, well-published author friends. Why? Isn’t NaNoWriMo just a gimmick to make everyone believe they can write ... Read more

Process

November 1, 2017 Writing craft, Writing life

I never really used to think about “process” in relation to writing. You have an idea. You research, You plan—at least a little. Then you write. Is that a process? ... Read more

Scraping off burnt toast

October 15, 2017October 15, 2017 Editing, Publishing business, Writing craft, Writing life

That was a phrase from Jamie Ford’s advice to writers, which I linked to in an earlier post. The metaphor—meaning going back to something you wrote long ago and revising it ... Read more

Self-Doubt

October 11, 2017 Editing, Soul searching, Writing craft, Writing life

I thought about just leaving it at that. You all know exactly what I’m talking about, don’t you? It goes hand-in-hand with wanting validation, feeling unappreciated, and that pesky cousin: ... Read more

Pet Peeves

October 6, 2017 Editing, word use, Writing craft

I try to be tolerant and not too pedantic when it comes to the way people use the English language. Colloquialisms are totally fine, weird punctuation, etc.—especially in quickly dashed ... Read more

The dreaded pitch

September 24, 2017September 25, 2017 Publishing business, Writing craft, Writing life

So, you have a finished manuscript. You’ve polished and prodded and written and rewritten and finally you think it’s ready to find a home in the world. Congratulations! Not everyone ... Read more

Linear Writing

September 20, 2017September 25, 2017 Writing craft, Writing life

I’ve often thought about writing out random scenes, things that I see my characters doing, or events I know my characters will interact with at some point in the story. ... Read more