I shall open with a small confession. I have an amazing husband. He not only works full time, but he enjoys spoiling me with expenditures that I would normally not afford myself. For instance, a year's worth of Master Class where I can listen to Neil Gaiman chat about storytelling is not something I would … Continue reading Week 4 – Camp Nano 2021
The joy of Pinterest, and the pitfalls! Whenever I've gotten stuck in the past few days regarding the WIP, I have flown to my Pinterest page where I have selected certain faces to help "cast" or represent the characters in the novel. This has been great fun. So much fun. Probably too much fun. I … Continue reading Week 3 – Camp Nano 2021
Well, I did say I normally hit a slump right around week two and I wasn't wrong. However, my Pinterest/Reading/Netflix plan did work! I took several hours off yesterday doing other things and in the evening I was able to get words on the page. This isn't to say that this process will work for … Continue reading Week 2 – Camp Nano 2021
Entering the world of Bright, where supernatural creatures live amongst us and steam engines rule! I hit my daily word goal before lunchtime, so I am feeling great. Though I do admit that whenever I do a National Novel Writing Month, the first week or so is always awesome. Midway through the second week, my … Continue reading Camp Nano 2021
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
I'm not certain who first coined the phrase that writers must "kill their darlings" but I find myself staring down the barrel of my proverbial gun today. With my shelter book finally completed - yes, that only took me all of COVID and then some to finish - I am on to the next project! … Continue reading Killing Darlings
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
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
A while back I finished my 3rd and I'd hoped final revision of Song of Bones/Melody of Bones/that dragon story I always wanted to write but kept putting off. My stubborn brain insisted it was complete, that I had told the story the best way I knew how, and that it was time to set … Continue reading Chagrin – Tempering the Writer
