When you have a creative mind, you’re always bursting with ideas. Some are inspired by your environment, entertainment, art, and some come from dreams. Have trouble writing about your dreams? Dreams are nonsense and have no plot, but your brain is free for the fantastical and is using a dream to work out a problem.Continue reading “Why I Allow Myself to Cheat on My Projects”
Tag Archives: #author
Writer Talk: Why Isn’t My Story Selling?
I’ve been alpha and/or beta reading manuscripts for about four years. I read a mix of about fifty to sixty traditionally and indie published novels a year for pleasure. What do some indie novels have in common with not-yet-polished drafts I alpha and beta read? Bad beginnings. Info dumps. Lack of developmental editing. The wayContinue reading “Writer Talk: Why Isn’t My Story Selling?”
The Hero’s Journey Plot Point The Mentor and How I Used It for: Tam Lin: A Modern, Queer Retelling–Excerpt from Chapter Two
Since I’m working on a modern retelling of a myth, I’m using a hero’s journey style plot. The very first plot point is called a call to action (or adventure). I posted Tom’s call to adventure here https://tammydeschamps.com/2020/08/24/excerpt-from-tam-lin-a-modern-queer-retelling-chapter-one/ . Usually the call to action/adventure for a myth is some sort of quest, but in Tom’sContinue reading “The Hero’s Journey Plot Point The Mentor and How I Used It for: Tam Lin: A Modern, Queer Retelling–Excerpt from Chapter Two”
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 theContinue reading “Draft Zero of My Novel is Finished, Now What?”
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 aContinue reading “Questions that Come up in Social Media Writing Groups: How Do I Write a Book?”
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 littleContinue reading “How to Become a Better Writer without an MFA in Six Ridiculously Hard Steps”
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 aContinue reading “Plotting Versus Pantsing Versus Plantsing”
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 untilContinue reading “It’s Just Entertainment, Why are You Making It about Politics?”
