by Mary Ann Kerr The tools for writing can be a distraction. There are so many programs from which to choose and which one is the best for writing? How does one know which one to choose? I have a MacBook Air and love it. When writing, I usually use pages, but I also have Scrivener which is a great …
Bigger on the Inside
As I begin editing my fourth book, “The 10th Demon: Children of the Bloodstone” it is painfully obvious I will not get a chance to catch my breath from just completing the third book, “The 11th Demon: The Ark of Chaos” available within the next two weeks. After completing the edit on the third book I am now very much …
Real Characters and the Supernatural
by J.A. Marx The spirit world. Holding to scripture. Authentic characters. Artistic license. How does an author reconcile all these concepts? I’m factual and a realist, which is partially why I don’t write fantasy or sci-fi. I’d find it too easy to write contrived scenes. Princess Janellia stands on the precipice of death and…suddenly a dragon swoops down and rescues …
You May Be a Writer
by Ane Mulligan Someone recently asked me how I knew I was a writer. I gave her the usual answers about a story taking over my mind … forget that … taking over my life until it’s told. I also had to admit all my really good friends are imaginary, at least the ones who still talk to me. I …
When the Holidays Cut Into Writing Time
by Anne Mateer The holiday season is upon us. For some writers, the interrupted normalcy means more writing time. But I suspect the opposite is the case for many of us: the holidays mean less time to write. Perhaps your children have vacation from school and require more supervision. Or they’re home from college (like mine will be) and you …
Where Do Storytellers Come From?
by Dana Mentink Writers are storytellers. Most will tell you something along the lines of “Oh I’ve been jotting down stories since I was a kid!” Guilty. When I wasn’t jotting them, I was thinking about them (most likely during a math lesson.) Somewhere in my formative years, the seed was planted deep, sprouting into a jungle of stories. So …
Top 10 Ways to Fail Spectacularly with Social Networking
By Edie Melson This past year, everywhere you turned someone was offering help on how to succeed with marketing, aka social media. Today I’m going to turn the tables and give you my top 10 ways to fail spectacularly with social networking. 10. Never follow anyone back when they follow you. Why would you? They aren’t nearly as interesting. 9. …
Duck, Duck, Goose: A Wee Bit of Encouragement
By Tamara D. Fickas “Duck, duck, duck…” Her back rigid, the little blond girl stared straight ahead, lips stretched thin. Each time It came near, her eyes shone with hope. Each time the tap came with a duck her head dropped a little further. Would she ever get to be goose? Do you remember the game Duck, Duck, Goose from …
The Timeline of a Novelist’s Career
by Cynthia Ruchti One word started a seismic reaction in the late 1800s. “Gold!” When gold was discovered in the Klondike region of the Yukon, 100,000 men dropped everything and headed for the area. Only 30,000 to 40,000-far fewer than half-arrived. The rest were thwarted along the journey by conditions, ill health, the terrain, difficulties, dangers, and discouragement. It’s estimated …
What Bobby Flay Taught Me About Writing
by Beth K. Vogt Bobby Flay is a celebrity chef and restaurateur. Any books he’s written are filled with mouth-watering recipes, not imaginary characters and plot twists. But as I recovered from a deadline and a migraine – Could the two be related? – I indulged in a mini-marathon of television episodes of Throwdown! with Bobby Flay. Watching Flay create …