A while back, I wrote a blog post about opening lines and more recently I wrote an article about writing characters readers identify with. I’d like to revisit the subjects and delve a little deeper into exactly what how-to writing articles and books mean by “hooking a reader from the beginning.” Maybe you’re new to[…]
Category: Writing
Questions Asked in Writing Groups: Should I Write Under a Pen Name?
Many new writers ask, “Should I write under a pen name?” That is an excellent question but there is a time when you should be asking it and it isn’t when you’re still on a rough draft. Gentle writer, prioritize. If you don’t have a finished story, focus on completing it. Daydream about it. Make[…]
Why Writing Characters that Readers Identify with is the Most Important Thing You Can Do as a Writer
Umbrella Academy television series has a great plot. The dialogue is witty and sometimes profound. The acting is superb. The scenes are great cinematography. Why can’t I get into it? I’m not their target audience. I’m a woman in her forties, a mother, and a writer. I’m no longer a person seeking the approval or[…]
Writing Paranormal Women’s Fiction vs Urban Fantasy
I’m a planster. Meaning I plot a little, I’ll do character mock up and story boards on Pinterest before I start writing, but leave pretty much everything up to the zero draft to work itself out. This method isn’t one that I suggest. Many times I’ve found myself rewriting and never finishing a draft because[…]
Draft Zero of My Novel is Finished, Now What?
I’ve completed my first draft of Eastside Hedge Witch: A (Sub)Urban Fantasy. I’m happy with the story overall, but the finish is kinda soft. That’s okay. Why? Because it’s only a first draft. A first draft is the story you tell yourself, or if you’re silly like me, you post scenes from it on the[…]
Writing Critique: How Can I Get Feedback While Social Distancing?
Emerging writers, who want to improve, will ask for feedback. Where do they go in the time of covid-19? Writing groups on social media. Why is this a bad thing? Because trolls aren’t living under bridges anymore, they’re online. Not only trolls, but a lot of ‘experts’ who parrot what they learned without real understanding[…]
Questions that Come up in Social Media Writing Groups: How Do I Write a Book?
The short answer is there’s no one way to write a book. The variance of style and plot depend on genre and then there are those who subvert those plots intentionally. That’s what happens when you have a bunch of creative thinkers making up stories. I’m not going to get into the structure of a[…]
How to Become a Better Writer without an MFA in Six Ridiculously Hard Steps
For whatever reason, time, money, living situation, etc. not everyone can go to school and get a masters in creative writing. Does this mean you have to give up on your dream to become a writer?Absolutely not. What it does mean is that you must dedicate time and effort, and have to be a little[…]
Why Am I Posting Excerpts from a Rough Draft?
Every writer has to start somewhere right? There those of us out there that’s never written a novel and don’t know the process at all. Want to know why? There is no secret formula to writing. Yes. You need a plot. Yes. You need character arcs, motivation, and theme, but there is absolutely no single[…]
How to Get that Writing in a Coffee Shop Vibe at Home
I found a lot of my friends in the writing community are having a tough time focusing. The Covid-19 blergh mind has hit us all, even the introverts are ready to do their introvert-y thing again. Those of us who have compromised immune systems, are getting outside for exercise and necessities, but saying no thank[…]
Plotting Versus Pantsing Versus Plantsing
What’s pantsing, you say? In the writing world you run into the strangest vocabulary. We literally make up things for a living (or hobby) so it’s no surprise that we also make up words. Pantsing is derived from the expression “flying by the seat of your pants”. In writing terminology, pantsing means to write a[…]
It’s Just Entertainment, Why are You Making It about Politics?
Most of society, who has the privilege to do so, thinks that novels, movies, and television shows are purely for entertainment. They are the folks also under the belief writers, actors, and other people in the arts don’t have “real jobs.” I write full time. It is a real job. I don’t get paid until[…]