by Maureen Lang Being a writer demands the impossible. On one hand, we must possess the emotional tenderness and sensitivity to see and feel all points of view. It’s only by experiencing deep emotion that we can create characters who think and feel authentically-characters who often represent two sides of a single issue. At the same time, the professional side …
Research Addiction
by Martha Rogers One of my goals this year was to do more research and come up with more story ideas for both contemporary and historical novels. Research is fun and leads me into areas where I’ve never been before. When the first novel in my new series, Love Stays True, releases this month, it will have the most extensive …
Research and a Wealth of Stories
by Diana Wallis Taylor With Claudia, Wife of Pontius Pilate coming out in June, people ask me how I can write a whole book about a woman who appears only briefly in one paragraph of one of the Gospels. I tell them, that this is where your research comes in. As with any other obscure character, you need to know …
Social Media. A Deliberate Endeavor.
by Suzanne Kuhn Social media. Just the mere term can stir fear in the heart of the edgiest thriller writer, causes the romance writer to pine for simpler days and has the mystery writer wondering if social media works. Social media doesn’t have to be a questionable proposition. With a little help and explanation, SuzyQ can restore your confidence, offering …
The Summer Season of Writing
by Telena Tanara Contreras The Arizona summer is an early arriver. In late March a dry breeze descends on the valley to give spring its notice; and a mere month later Queen Summer herself follows behind a procession of scorching rays, ridiculous temperatures, and dramatic dust storms to begin her ruthless reign. Come May, the people are done. Snow birds …
Food Fight!
by Rachel Hauck Boy, doesn’t that title just make you sit up and take notice. I woke up thinking about this today. Food. Writing. Diet Coke. Writing. Chips. Writing. Diet Coke. Writing. Tea. Writing. Water. Water. Water. To undo the chips and Diet Coke, of course. Writing. After returning from a fantastic writer’s retreat, I resolved to cut back on …
What was the Question?
by Beth K. Vogt “I start with a question. Then try to answer it.” – Mary Lee Settle (1918-2005), author The best way to start a novel is with an Inciting Incident, right? The event that changes the main character’s life – shoves them out of their normal world – and sends them on a journey. But there’s something that …
Social Media Isn’t Just about Networking
by Laurie Alice Eakes I have no scientific or statistical data to backup what I’m about to proclaim and explain. What I have is personal experience and three years of observation. Four years ago, I joined Facebook. A year ago, I joined Twitter. Somewhere in there I signed up for Linkedin and Goodreads and probably other social media sites I’ve …
Keeping the Reader in Mind
by Ruth A. Douthitt I teach writing to middle grade students here in Phoenix, and am amazed at their creativity when it comes to writing stories. As a writing teacher, I use a plotting diagram as well as an outline. I also remind my students to keep me, the reader, in mind as they write. Now I have 70 stories …
When is Fiction Not Fiction
by Charlotte Snead His Brother’s Wife, published in October 2012 by Oak Tara, springs from the heart of one who has walked the halls of Walter Reed and seen our brave warriors. The dry places where they fought are only one battlefield. The daily war for month after month, even year after year, to regain their ability to walk, to …