Writing Relevance
Looking back at the works I've written, I see stories that missed the mark because I did not have a handle on my craft. I see characters who were not fleshed out well enough, and scenes that never grounded the reader inside them, allowing them to experience it. I see fragments that make more sense … Continue reading Looking Back
Writing is not for the faint of heart. When I started this whole writing thing, I was a child who thought it was great fun. One assignment from a teacher in the sixth grade opened the world of fiction to me and I played around with all the fantasy, making shallow stories that grazed through … Continue reading The Courage It Takes
Normally this is my favorite post of the year. The moment when I look back on all the work I managed to get done and begin planning out the next projects. I look forward to it. I make notes of things I deviated from, new projects started, projects scrapped, and generally remind myself that I … Continue reading The Year of COVID
I ended the first day of Nano 2020 at 3244 words. Which is excellent. I do admit that I am not doing a straight-laced Nano this year. Instead of starting from scratch on a brand new manuscript, I have unearthed the thing I started earlier this year that COVID derailed. Remember when I was doing … Continue reading Kicking of NaNo 2020
Here we are, nearing the end of the craziness that is 2020, and I honestly didn't think I would commit to writing for National Novel Writing Month. For one, I have kid doing remote learning, which is 120% more challenging than I imagined it would be. I cannot count the number of times I have … Continue reading NaNoWriMo 2020
Recently I began reading a new book from one of my favorite authors. I had been looking forward to this book because it was revisiting 1800's London and the author had done a beautiful job describing that time period. I also love the fantastical elements of the world she created. Urban fantasy is fascinating to … Continue reading Casting the Book
There's a moment in every book where you're so close to the end you can taste it and suddenly you lose all talent you ever possessed. Poof! Gone in an instant. Or at least, this is what happens to me. It's different for every writer, but it seems universal that we all come to a … Continue reading Near The End
Anyone who's read my writing can tell you that I use violence a lot in my work. We don't call it that, though. We say it's "action-packed" and full of conflict because the word violence tends to connote negative things. And really, it should. As a parent, I find myself repeating the mantra that it … Continue reading Violence in Writing – July Round Robin
Stories are not just about the characters on the page. True, they hold the bulk of our attention, but they would not exist outside of the world in which they live. We're taught as authors that in order to sell the books that we write, we have to have character and conflict. There are even … Continue reading A More Textured Story
It's that time of year again! That moment when I start really pushing the writing stuff and getting words on paper and all that. National Novel Writing Month begins in just a few short weeks and I've been happily fixing up my outline for a horror/supernatural novel. If you've never heard of National Novel Writing … Continue reading Outlines, Deadlines, and NaNoWriMo
