Life does have a way of throwing inconveniences at us. Some call them Fate. Others call them acts of God (insurance companies seem to like this one—like it’s their get out of jail free card). Some people see them as attempts by the devil to throw us off track. Still …
First of all, I want to thank all of you for your loyalty and patience. Many of you may have noticed there was no blog last week and this week’s is very late. The last month has presented some very powerful health challenges, like my heart stopping three times in …
If we hang around writers very long we’ll hear the phrase, “Writer’s Block.” If you’re a writer, you’ve probably experienced it in one form or another. The late Terry Pratchett is quoted as saying, “There’s no such thing as writer’s block. That was invented by people in California who couldn’t …
Creating a good villain really means to create a character who is nuanced and complex. Our villains can’t be black and white, two-dimensional stick figures. In my writing, I’ve discovered a couple of keys to making a good villain. One, they must have goals. Think of Michael Corleone in the …
This is a question I ask myself quite often. As a pantser, I tend to introduce characters as I write along in the story. Sometimes they ‘re minor characters who are only in for one scene to provide info, add some comic relief, or increase tension and conflict. Or a …
One comment I hear frequently from readers is how much they like my characters, especially my secondary characters. I’m often asked how I find them and develop them or what techniques do I use to create them. In my first Riverbend novel, Journey to Riverbend, readers expressed a genuine liking …
Some more thoughts on the writing habit of professionalism. A professional writer seeks input and feedback from others. Continuing with our sports analogy, the professional athlete works with coaches and personal trainers to improve their skills. Pitchers will work with a pitching coaching or guru for weeks to develop a …
Another habit of effective writers is professionalism. In other words, take your writing seriously. If you don’t, who will? Are you one of those who keep saying you’re going to write a book? And years go by without a word appearing on paper or screen. It’s like the kid who …
Another habit to develop is identifying a favorite writing place, one that allows us to achieve the utmost productivity. And that can be anywhere. It is unique to each one of us. Many writers seem to enjoy writing at their neighborhood Starbucks. This doesn’t work for me. There are too …
The second habit a writer needs to develop is self-editing. Whether we traditionally publish, but especially if we self publish, we need to produce a manuscript as clean and professional as we possibly can. The first step to getting our foot in the door in either realm is to be …
