I’ve had writers say to me, “I can’t write. My life stinks.” For some of us it really does. Life events can throw a stink bomb into our cherished writing. A call the HAZMAT team kind of stinker. That happened to me during my medical crises in April. From the …
Recent Blog Posts
Writing
10 Commandments of a Successful Writer – Part 3
This is the final installment (so far) in this series on the commandments of being a successful writer. You can catch up on the first two at these links: 10 Commandments, Part 1 and 10 Commandments, Part 2. This week, we’ll look at dealing with envy, developing patience, setting goals, and never giving …
The 10 Commandments of a Successful Writer – Part 1
This week I’m beginning a three blog series on this subject. Recently, someone asked me what it takes to be a successful writer. My answer was work, lots of work. And it got me to thinking deeper about being a writer. Success does require work—putting our butts in the chair …
Make Your Characters Work for It
Fiction at its essence is people in conflict. Our hero has a goal and something or someone is trying to prevent her from getting it. To write really meaningful fiction, regardless of genre, means making our characters work to get through the conflict and achieve that goal. We can’t …
What Is a Beta Reader?
In a recent blog on rewriting, I mentioned sending the completed second draft to my beta readers: Into the Pits of Rewriting. Some authors call them first readers. These are people who read the completed manuscript and give you honest feedback. They are not editors or critiquers—they are READERS. Their purpose …
Into the Pits of Rewriting
On March 27, I typed The End on my latest manuscript. That’s one of my favorite parts of writing. Until the next day when I realize I have to rewrite it. I know of very few writers who can consistently complete a novel in one draft. One thing I’ve learned …
The Devil Went Down to Georgia
This blog was originally posted by Steven James in Writer Unboxed. Reposted with permission. This blog so touched my writer’s heart I want to share it with all my readers. Twelve years ago I decided to sell out. I landed on an idea that I felt would be a financially …
Researching a Novel
Doing research on a novel is one of the most crucial aspects of creating a winning story. If we don’t get our information right, we damage, if not destroy, our credibility. For pantsers like myself, research can be a huge interrupter of the process if not handled right. When I …
5 Questions to Telling a Story
There are 5 questions to telling a story. Applying them to fiction will help us write amazing stories. I first heard them in college as they applied to journalism. The 5 questions or signposts or guides to writing great stories are: Who? Where? When? What? Why? WHO? These are our …
6 Steps for Dealing with Writer’s Block
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 …