by Susan A.J. Lyttek It’s one thing to reminisce about Christmases gone by and to tell our own tales. But how do we go about creating traditions for a fictional character and make it seem both compelling and realistic? First of all, we can and should incorporate some of our own traditions. Maybe these go in with a minor character, …
Writing Christmas Fiction
by Susan A.J. Lyttek It’s one thing to reminisce about Christmases gone by and to tell our own tales. But how do we go about creating traditions for a fictional character and make it seem both compelling and realistic? First of all, we can and should incorporate some of our own traditions. Maybe these go in with a minor character, …
5 Tips for Weary Writers in the Christmas Season
by DiAnn Mills No other time of the year can be more difficult to write than at Christmas. We writers are simply distracted with all the fun and excitement this time of the year brings. The season involves creativity, and we simply can’t resist the urge to simply BE in the moment. My excuses race from one exciting activity to …
5 Tips for Weary Writers in the Christmas Season
by DiAnn Mills No other time of the year can be more difficult to write than at Christmas. We writers are simply distracted with all the fun and excitement this time of the year brings. The season involves creativity, and we simply can’t resist the urge to simply BE in the moment. My excuses race from one exciting activity to …
“Passive” Mania Blues
By Loretta Eidson I’m a high school graduate who majored in Home Economics and Math. English and Literature weren’t necessary to me at the time. Remembering how to dissect a sentence or conjugate a verb lasted about as long as ice cream on a hot summer day. So goes active voice and passive voice. Oh, my! Wish I’d paid more …
“Passive” Mania Blues
By Loretta Eidson I’m a high school graduate who majored in Home Economics and Math. English and Literature weren’t necessary to me at the time. Remembering how to dissect a sentence or conjugate a verb lasted about as long as ice cream on a hot summer day. So goes active voice and passive voice. Oh, my! Wish I’d paid more …
Vacation, aka Book Marketing Research
By Glynn Young My wife and I have been to England several times for vacation, but this time it was vacation with a book twist. Shortly before we left, I had finished a manuscript and turned it over to the publisher. The story is set in Britain and mostly London. But it was with a huge feeling of relief that …
Beyond Sense of Place
by Gail Gaymer Martin Setting should be more than sense of place. It can add deeper meaning to your story by reflecting the theme or mood. It can enhance the plot with situations built into the setting that can foreshadow situations or problems. It can influence the character’s emotions and actions. When you begin your novel, ask yourself these questions: …
Book to Movie?
by Michael Hicks Thompson What author doesn’t want their book made into a movie? It’s what launched John Grisham’s career. Remember The Firm? How’d Grisham accomplish that feat? Serendipity, for one. He took his manuscript to Willie Morris, the famous author from Yazoo City, Mississippi. At the time, Willie was Writer in Residence at Ole Miss. Grisham asked Willie to …
Making it right….
by Roxanne Rustand When someone refers to their “writing journey,” I think back to my own journey and my own misconceptions back in the early 1990’s. It all seemed so clear back then. Write. Be dedicated. Absorb everything I heard at writers’ conferences, study my books on writing and the scores of writing workshop tapes I listened to endlessly. It …