You've heard me say this: Keep writing, no matter what. But what if I'm sick as a dog, with a fever and a headcold and I can't stop blowing my nose for fear of asphyxiating on my own mucus? That was me last week. Gross! Too much information! I hear you say. I know, I know. But every now and then, even we writers get deathly illl. How are we supposed…
Have you ever put down a book you were reading because you just couldn't bring yourself to care about any of the characters? There are some genres out there that tend to get so focused on plot and concept that the characters are hammered into these thin cold puppets who act without any visible charisma or relatable motives. As a writer, regardless of your chosen genre, you cannot let…
An Examination of Themes, Messages, and Armatures Every story should have some kind of message, theme, thrust, main point, etc. You may consider the prior sentence as just an opinion, but hear what I have to say and then disagree, if you still do. When you begin writing a story, you might or might not have a good sense for what it will be about. If you don't…
Whether you're writing a novel, novella, or short story, you write in scenes. If you're writing a super short story which often one scene long, this concept still applies. Common scenes: An opening scene, a conclusion scene, a flashback scene, a fight scene, a restitution scene. Scenes compose the building blocks, the steps of the grand staircase that make a story and once you feel comfortable with the basics of grammar…
Language works on many levels: literal, metaphorical, poetical. As writers, we must beware of the breadth of its uses, and it behooves us to be comfortable with all of them. A strict commercial writer (think freelance articles for magazines) would do well to understand nuances of poetry, for example. This kind of study only makes your writing stronger. A poet should learn how to lay out a…
Most published authors can't avoid the interview question--where do your ideas come from? The frequently give the simple (often maddening to beginning writers) reply of "Everywhere." If you've read or listened to interviews, you'll hear stories of inspiration striking authors while driving, taking a shower, mowing their lawn, eating lunch...insert mundane activity here. But they're right. A person who is actively searching for inspiration, and dedicated to faithfully recording the…
Tangible objects are among the most important components of a powerful story. An object can be anything and can represent anything. It might be a treasure, an item of power, a symbol of doom, a testament of love, a secret of life-shaking identity. Think about objects in movies or famous books that have rendered the story powerful. A favorite of mine is the rose in Beauty and the Beast…
Last week I received my first writing review with some serious professional clout. As you know if you've been following this blog, I was a quarter-finalist in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Awards this year for my novel Moonlight and Oranges, which is a huge honor and a nice pat on the back. I'd never made it this far in a large contest before. After the quarter-finals, comes…
Imitating excellent art isn't complicated it you know what to look for--and it's not plagiarism if you are using your own unique content. Have you ever ready a brilliant essay or a short story that really packed a punch and wondered how the author had arranged the words in such a pleasing, powerful way? I recently discovered there is a way to learn the structure and model my own…
Get up, don't trash-talk yourself, and write/ski/try again. Those of you living in the Seattle area might know that yesterday was the final day the Steven's Pass was open. A generous friend gave my husband and I some free rental and lift tickets and we seized the day for a final sprint on the slopes. My prior skiing experience has been a few lessons from my…