For this post, let’s break down a well known romance plot to see where the story beats are going. This is an exercise I’d really recommend for authors of any genre. Take your favorite story, or movie, and break it down to see how they made everything work. You’ll be surprised how much it helps you break down your own story! And yes, this is the movie I’m turning into plot points, but it still translates to novel form. Beauty…
It must be the first Wednesday of June, because here I am posting for the Insecure Writer’s Support Group. In addition to the delight of many silly gifs in this post literally no one asked for, you get me as a co-host for the IWSG, along with the wonderful Cathrina Constantine, Natalie Aguirre, Joylene Nowell Butler, and Jacqui Murray! And our question for this first day of June is: When the going gets tough writing the story, how do you keep yourself writing to…
What I thought it would be like: Writing retreats full of discourse, stimulating discussions, plotting, and lots of other authors. What it’s actually like: #You’reTooPoor #SillyAuthor #RetreatsAreForBestSellers What I thought it would be like: Ideas lining up, falling neatly into their places, everything is flowing and glorious and ticking along like pure, perfect, writing clockwork. What it’s actually like: EVER HEARD OF SLEEPING, Ideas? GIVE ME A BREAK. What I thought it would be like: Editing, DONE. Polishing? This baby…
The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day and guess what, it’s the first Wednesday in August! Post your thoughts, talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered, discuss your struggles and triumphs, and offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writer – aim for a dozen new people each time – and return comments. This group is all about connecting! Every month…
The Insecure Writer’s Support Group meets online the first Wednesday of every month to share, commiserate, and encourage each other. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds! You can sign up for the group yourself by going here. The awesome co-hosts for the July 7 posting of the IWSG are Pat Garcia, Victoria Marie Lees, and Louise – Fundy Blue! And the IWSG chose to go straight for the superior vena cava today with the question: What would make you quit…
Inquiring authors want to know: What’s harder for you to come up with, book titles or character names? (It’s me. I’m inquiring authors.) My answer: Titles. Titles are the hardest thing ever. Titles are horrible, nasty, no good, very bad, brain-killing beasts. Compared to titles, naming my characters is a breeze. And not like, a fourteen-kilometer-per-hour windstorm breeze, one of those gentle zephyr kind. So many options, all of them easy breezy. I can use names I like the sound…
The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writer – aim for a dozen new people each time – and return comments. This group is all about connecting! The awesome co-hosts for the June 2 posting…
We’re starting out with the first, basic baby-steps to independent authoring. Well, no. The actual first step is to finish a book. Truly finish not just hit 60K, write “the end”, and shove that sucker out of the nest all bare-assed without even pinfeathers. Your book must hatch: cheep loudly demanding brainworms until you think you may well lose your mind: require hand-fed edits and critiques to grow: regurgitate some re-writes: and get a few more edits just to be…
The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. You can find the group on social media with #IWSG. Also, ¡Feliz cinco de Mayo! Recuerda, no hay ninguna fiesta de alcohol los estadounidenses no robarán ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Every month, a group of wonderful co-hosts steers us all towards meaningful discussion. We owe our May thanks to Erika Beebe,…