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. …
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 …
Plot by the Seat of Your Pants
By Ane Mulligan There have been copious emails written on the loop regarding Plotter vs Pantster. One method works great for some and is a failure for others. Seat of the Pants (SOTP) writers can’t plot to save their lives. If the word is even uttered within fifty yards their muse takes a vacation. Plotting is their personal hades. So …
My Personal Self-Help Guide for Focusing on Writing
by Maggie Brendan With the current release of my sixth book, Perfectly Matched, last week, I was at the Georgia Romance Writers Conference, when another writer asked me if I had a guide to staying focused to write each book, handle marketing, and still maintain a separate life apart from my work. It was a thought provoking question which made …
Mentoring: Pay It Forward
By Margaret Daley Years ago when I started writing, the Internet didn’t exist, nor did the current plethora of how-to-books on romance writing. The writing groups so many of us now take for granted in helping beginners learn the craft of telling a good story weren’t exactly on every street corner either! In the city where I live, I was …
Writing Historical Novels, Part 2
By Carrie Turansky On Sept. 5th I shared several tips on research for historical authors. Today I’d like to continue with that topic and give you a few more ideas. All of these have been very helpful to me as I have been writing The Edwardian Brides Series, and today I am celebrating the release of Book One, The Governess …
Three Steps to Prevent Over Firing
by Davalynn Spencer We just moved into a new-to-us home and are acquainting ourselves with the light-switch locations, key-to-lock equations, and appliance operations-which, in my book, includes the wood stove. Though the stove is not technically an appliance, I want to be ready for action come the first snow of the season. A cozy fire on a cold Colorado night …
Say Goodbye to Frenzy in Your Writing Life
by Judy Christie When I turned fifty, I gave myself a book for my birthday: I committed to write my first novel. I’m astonished that In the past six years, I’ve had seven novels published, with number eight set to release next fall. In addition, I work a “day job” as a consultant. I am so thankful–and pooped. Like many …