“Write what you know” is a piece of advice that just about every aspiring writer has heard. At first glance, it sounds really wise and profound. Until we try to apply it. If we adhered to this maxim, very little would get written that would be worth reading. Because, when …
Recent Blog Posts
Writing
How to Write a Novel
When I’m introduced as a writer to a group of non-writers I get a wide range of reactions. Some look at me as if I’m from another planet. Others back away as if they might catch a strange disease. In my early days, one person asserted I couldn’t be …
The Joys of Rediscovery
There’s an old cliché about never being able to go home again. I’m sure there’s some deep-seated message embedded there, but it escapes me. Recently, I made a trip to my home state of Rhode Island and learned that, while we may not be able to go home again, we …
Keep Our Promises
As writers, we’re constantly making promises to our readers. Often they start with our title and cover. A cover of a couple looking longingly at each other promises romance. How disconcerting it would be to discover a horror story on the pages. Even though some romances can end up horrible. …
Six Writing Regrets
After several years on this writing journey and from talking with others on the same path, I’ve found six things I wish I had done differently. Maybe you share some of them. 1) Following trends instead of my heart We all have stories in our hearts. Stories that we need …
When the story bogs down.
My current work in progress was a mess. A “let’s call the whole thing off” swamp. It’s the fourth book in my fantasy trilogy. Maybe that’s the problem right there. I can’t count. As most of you know, I’m what’s called a pantser. I write without an outline. Before I …
What Inspires My Writing?
This is an interesting question from one of my readers. One with several layers to it. One is to tell the stories that grab my mind and just won’t let go until I tu rn the idea into words on a screen or page. Sometimes it’s an image. Or …
The Value of Writing Mistakes
Are you like me? I hate to make mistakes. When I have to fess up, I sometimes feel like a little kid. I tell myself, “I know better than that.” The perfectionist in me tries to correct them. The little kid in me says, “Maybe if I hide them, nobody …
Meet My Characters: Martha, Martha
Today, we’ll meet Martha Matthews, the pastor’s wife in Journey to Riverbend. The snarky, sarcastic pastor’s wife. As her husband, Luke, said, “She makes pastoring interesting.” Martha loves Jesus. But…she is sometimes challenged in walking out this love with others, especially with her mouth. She tells me it stems from …
The Secret Life of a Pantser
I was talking with another writer one day and, from her first question, I knew I was in trouble. “How long does it take you to outline your novels?” she asked. “I don’t,” I said. She sputtered like a Volkswagen with a bad spark plug. Finally she said, “How do …