by Melissa Tagg So today’s Halloween. I was never all that into the holiday…until my sister had a baby. Now I have an undeniable attraction to the Halloween costume aisle at Target. But anyway, today feels like a good day to post about the “monsters” that scare away our productivity and confidence as writers. Here are the three that tend …
The Devil is in the Details, but God is in the Machine!
By Bruce Hennigan I am finishing up the final galley proof corrections for my upcoming book, “The 11th Demon: The Ark of Chaos” and I am anxious to make sure I haven’t used “deus ex machina” to save the day. While watching reruns of the newer versions of Doctor Who in preparation for the upcoming 50th anniversary broadcast of “The …
It’s a Matter of POV: Toughen Up
by Ane Mulligan Years ago when I first started writing, I wrote short drama sketches for my church. The first one got published and every one after that. Then I turned my hand to novels. After a few months and 125,000 words, I found an online critique group. When I received my first critique, I discovered I knew nothing but …
Perseverance Pays Off
by Deborah Lynne I started to title this ‘Persevere Until The End,’ but then I thought…NO. It isn’t the end-it’s the beginning of a new world for you the writer, the author, the published novelist. That was my dream twenty-seven years ago. Some people are blessed with their first manuscript becoming an over-night success. I wasn’t one of those. If …
Deepening Point Of View – Cheat Sheet
By Loretta Eidson Learning new words in the writing world has its challenges, but capturing the meanings and applying them can be a difficult task. My mental dictionary sent scrambled definitions through the memory chambers of my mind as I struggled to understand. Deepening point of view (POV) was mind-boggling. What did it really mean? In DiAnn Mills new release …
Making Memories
by Dani Pettrey My daughter got married last weekend. It’s hard to believe my baby girl is all grown up and now a wife of her own. My husband is a wedding photographer and was able to capture this gorgeous moment. It was a day of enjoying, making and capturing memories. And, it got me thinking. Isn’t that what we …
Truth Stranger Than Fiction
by Martha Rogers Today, my husband and I are celebrating fifty-four years of marriage after knowing each other for about six months. We had a total of six dates in the four weeks I knew him before he left for boot camp. We were engaged a few days after my birthday while he was here on leave for five days. …
I Went To A Funeral Today
by Beth Shriver I’m using this example because the departed would want me to, he was just that kind of a guy. Although he didn’t grow up in the Amish community his grandfather did and all of the relatives before him. His last name was Yoder so I knew he had Amish roots. When I first started writing Amish he …
Be a Superhero: Write a Novel in a Month
by Susan May Warren “NaNoWriMo? National Novel Writing Month? Oh please, don’t ask me to write a novel in a month. I’m sorry, it’s just too overwhelming.” My friend and aspiring writer mentee, Sally, took a sip of her mint dark chocolate cocoa, looking at me as if I’d asked her to run a marathon. Tomorrow. “No. Forget it. You’d …
Writing A Novel Series
by Gail Gaymer Martin I’ve enjoyed writing novels in a series, because the advantage is: 1) each story creates fodder to build the next novel and 2) editors like to contract a series because they interest readers. A series demands an author to keep good records of details woven through the novels, especially with a large cast of characters. I …