How Writers Relax
Six perfect ways to de-stress during November
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Author Toolbox: Creating Wonderful Characters
This is an author toolbox hop post. Author toolbox is the creation of author Raimey Gallant ,a box with an emphasis on sharing tips, tricks, and advice with other authors as we all try to navigate together. Characters make or break a story. Yes, there’s plot as well, but I think the characters end up being equally as important. After all, the action loses impact when we don’t really care about the people it’s happening to. They are so important they…
Be Proud of Your Writing: Author Toolbox
You do you, and give yourself the credit for doing it.
The IWSG is Off and Away
It’s Insecure Writer’s Support Group day! Come share and encourage other writers. Express your doubts and feel no fear, you won’t be judged here. Sign up, find the other group members, articles, resources and endless encouragement by heading over here The awesome co-hosts for the September 4 posting of the IWSG are Gwen Gardner, Doreen McGettigan, Tyrean Martinson, Chemist Ken, and Cathrina Constantiner! Let’s not forget to click over and thank them for moderating today. Today’s question: If you could pick one place in the world to sit…
Make Your Characters Flawsome; Author Toolbox
As in: flawed, yet awesome. No one wants to read boring perfection.
Surprise! It’s an IWSG Post
Tell us about your doubts or fears, and how you conquered them. Bring us along for your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who might be struggling. Visit and connect with fellow writers. The group aims for a dozen visits each IWSG Wednesday. And make sure to return your comments. This group is all about connection! To sign up go here The awesome co-hosts for the August 7 posting of the IWSG are Renee Scattergood, Sadira Stone, Jacqui…
Writing the Good Bad Boy: Author Toolbox
This is an author toolbox blog post. To get in on the authoring goodies distributed every month, go sign up on the website of our generous leader Raimey Gallant The Brooding Bad Boy* as a trope (otherwise known as Damaged With a Heart of Gold, Alpha Male, or Redeemed Rake, depending on what time period you’re writing) seems to be huge, ESPECIALLY in YA literature right now. Dark romance and angst as a plot line are trending, which means the…
The Insecure Writer’s Group Wants to Speed Date Me
This is an Insecure Writer’s Support Group post. Let’s rock the neurotic writing world! Our Twitter handle is @TheIWSG and hashtag is #IWSG. The awesome co-hosts for the July 3 posting of the IWSG are Erika Beebe, Natalie Aguirre,Jennifer Lane, MJ Fifield, Lisa Buie-Collard, and Ellen @ The Cynical Sailor! July 3 question: What personal traits have you written into your character(s)? First of all, I like how the question assumes I’ve written personal traits into my characters. This is something I think we authors should…
A Tool for Detecting Passive Voice: Author Toolbox
There are some generally accepted Golden Rules for authors (which, okay, change from century to century, genre to genre, and are not so much rules as guidelines?) One of them is DEATH to All Adverbs, which I am personally fighting against because I love me a good adverb. Another is Conflict is King. Too bad no one can really decide on the definitive definition of “conflict” for any given novel since it’s pretty much subjective and changes depending on what…
The Insecure Writer’s Group has Got the Power
It’s the first Wednesday of the month, which means it’s time for our writing insecurities to pop their little heads out, just in time to get whacked back down into the depths of our subconscious by multiple author-hammers. GET BACK IN YOUR PLACE, INSECURITIES! Ahem. Anyway. The optional question for May 1: What was an early experience where you learned that language had power? The co-hosts for the month of May are Lee Lowery, Juneta Key, Yvonne Ventresca, and T. Powell Coltrin! Thanks to all…