You have finished your novel. You breathe a big sigh of relief when you type, THE END. Writing 80,000-100,000 words is certainly not for the faint of heart. You set it aside and let it rest. When you return to it and read the whole thing, you realize–with a sinking feeling in your gut–that it…
In an earlier post, I wrote about the importance of writing a character analysis prior to beginning your manuscript. How can you write about someone if you do not know anything about them or their motivation? You may never use what you have written but knowing your character’s motivations will come across in your writing. In…
About a month ago I was cleaning up my back patio. Next thing I know, these little things were sticking me with needles. I finally realized it was wasps. I have never been stung before and it was quite the experience. The thing is they were relentless. Apparently, they do not lose their stinger, so…
Chances are, if you are serious about a career in writing, you have more than one project to work on at a time. You might even be at different stages with each project. Perhaps you are working on edits and revisions of your novel as well as planning the outline of another. You could also…
Writer’s Block. It is a phrase that strikes fear in the hearts of writers everywhere. The day the muse calls in sick. At some point, every writer deals with it: the blank page, not knowing what to write next or where the story is going. It’s Easier than You Think Here are ten quick tips…
The decision to create an outline for a work-in-progress (WIP) is truly an individual one. Most writers are divided into plotters or pansters. Plotters would not dream of starting their novel without first creating an outline. Pansters literally fly by the seat of their pants. They prefer to let the muse run the show and…
When writing fiction, I find timelines to be tricky, slippery little devils. My current work-in-progress (WIP) is a holiday novel and the opening scene takes place the Monday after Thanksgiving (US). So, I am motoring along, seventy thousand words in and so much has happened that I have no idea what the date is in…
When you are first going out with someone, you want to know everything about them: where they went to school, their favorite meal and even what sports team they root for. That kind of enthusiasm should be carried over into the formation of your fictional characters by creating a character fact checker. In a much…