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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
I’m circling around the new WIP. I’ve populated Scrivener with index cards of random scenes, and written one of them (sort of). Still not sure where the story begins, although ... Read more
