Writers often slam into a story wall. Sometimes they find a way to scale it and continue to run and dodge through the rest of the obstacle course to reach “The End.” But sometimes, instead of a wall standing in…
Blog Archives
10 Tips to Conquer a Writing Block Mountain
Tagged with: writer's block, writing blocks, writing encouragement, writing truths
Posted in Writing Advice
Posted in Writing Advice
A Must-have Resource for Writing Character Emotions
For the last month, I’ve been part of a Street Team for Angela and Becca at Writers Helping Writers who will launch a new writing book on February 19th. Because they’re known for showing, not telling, they decided it would be…
Goals: Blogging, Books, and Bonekeeping
After weeks of thinking, planning, and scribbling (along with necessary reality checks), I’ve settled on several writing-related goals for the coming year. Fiction Goals Major goal: Book one in my dark fantasy series, The Last Bonekeeper, is ready for an…
Tagged with: goal setting, the writing life, writing commitment, writing goals
Posted in Musings, Sharing My Writing
Posted in Musings, Sharing My Writing
Obstacles
As someone who’s easily distracted, I understand the need to stay focused on what’s important (and to remind myself of that truth). A companion of that need is remembering to remind myself. Like so many others at this time of…
Tagged with: goal setting, Hannah More quote, inner writing life, Jack Bickham quote, quotes to stay focused, writing encouragement, writing quotes, writing truths
Posted in Quotes
Posted in Quotes
Author Interview: JA Andrews
Author JA Andrews juggles time, family life, and aphantasia to write epic fantasy stories in her Keeper Chronicles world where peace-keeping storytellers fight magic with magic. The series includes A Threat of Shadows, book one (2nd edition, 2018) and Pursuit…
3 Fiction Writing Terms: Data Dump, Filter Word, Head Hopping
I wince at the memory of using each of these writing “no-no’s” in my early fiction (and critique partners still catch me in the act at times). Data dumping is fun for writers bursting to share their research or hard-wrought…
Tagged with: 3 Fiction Writing Terms series, be a better writer, Cynthia VanRooy quote, D. Wallace Peach quote, eliminate filter words, filtering in point of view, head hopping vs omniscient point of view, info dump, information dump, Janice Hardy quote, Joe Bunting quote, point of view filters, quotes for writers, Stefanie Gaither quote, suspend disbelief in fiction, weaknesses in writing, writing advice
Posted in Fiction Writing Terms
Posted in Fiction Writing Terms
Defend Your Inner Writing Life
A writing life and a writing career are two separate things, and it’s crucial to keep the first. The single essential survival skill for anybody interested in creating art is to learn to defend this inner life from the world.…
2018 Wednesday on the Web #4
Here’s the fourth (and last) of my fifth Wednesday posts for 2018. Alas, my bottomless bag of online treasure continues to fill despite my efforts to pluck and share. ■ For Writers Shakespeare Insult Kit Chris Seidel presents a list…
Compelling Book Covers: Dragons
In my research into book cover design, I’ve become more aware of symbolism and what readers expect from a particular genre. Romance covers are known for their couples lost in longing embrace, while science fiction covers depict vistas of other…
Author Interview: Nicki Huntsman Smith
Author Nicki Huntsman Smith is a longtime book lover who became hooked on post-apocalyptic fiction as a preteen. Troop of Shadows (2016), Beauty and Dread (2016), and Moving with the Sun (2018) are her first offerings in the Troop of…
Tagged with: Beauty and Dread by Nicki Huntsman Smith, Dead Leaves Dark Corners by Nicki Huntsman Smith, Moving with the Sun by Nicki Huntsman Smith, post-apocalyptic, post-apocalyptic pandemic, Secrets Under the Mesa by Nicki Huntsman Smith, SHTF fiction, Troop of Shadows by Nicki Huntsman Smith, Troop of Shadows Chronicles
Posted in Author Interviews
Posted in Author Interviews
