by Kathy Harris A few weeks ago, award-winning Hollywood director Alejandro Monteverde stood in front of a small gathering in Nashville, Tennessee to celebrate an advance screening of his film “Little Boy.” Monteverde told the audience that he had initially expected to complete his screenplay in three months. But, he confided, since the birth of the project he and his …
In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity
by C.E. Hilbert “In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.” Albert Einstein Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s servant, cutting off his right ear. John 18:10 Some days you have to eat all of your brussel sprouts – and that stinks. Some day’s life stinks. It just does. You lose your job because …
Lessons I Learn While Watching Television Shows
By Kariss Lynch I am an avid reader. I am also an avid television consumer. Why? Because ultimately I am a story lover. I still firmly believe that the book is ALWAYS better than the movie, but there are times when I love to shut the book, turn off the computer, and watch a story unfold on screen. My roommate …
5 Steps to Meeting Your Deadline The Chunky Way
By Allie Pleiter The high volume of production demanded from a category romance author has made me a student of creative productivity. Wrangling an uncooperative muse to meet a deadline is one of the ongoing struggles of every writer, and we need all the help we can get. I’ve been teaching the Chunky Method all across the country for several …
Rewrites…
By Katherine Reay We like to call them edits. Or perhaps macro-edits, if we want to sound crafty. But sometimes, they are simply re-writes – a ponderous process to push the story where it should have already been. I’ve just been through a bout of these and it was a humbling experience. I tried to push myself and attempt/accomplish new …
The Rhino in the Writer: Thick Skin & the Value of a Critique Group
By Hannah Conway Join a critique group. Yes, that’s some of the soundest advice given to me regarding the wonderful world of writing. Yet, the next part of that advice? Well, it’s more on the strange side. Develop rhino skin. Join a critique group, and develop rhino skin. Let that sink in. I’ll wait while your nose finishes up that …
Love the WIP You’re With
By Sarah Hamaker The idea comes to you in a flash of brilliance. The plot, the setting, the characters all jumble together like a kaleidoscope of words just waiting to be brought into focus by you. You eagerly sit down in front of the computer, fingers poised over the keyboard and a fresh, blank document open on the screen. Is …
Tips to Supercharge Your Story
By DiAnn Mills When our stories lack a certain edge, we’re back to the drawing board looking for what we’ve missed. Our novels are like well-oiled machines, each part has to be fine-tuned to work effectively. When are skills, methods, and storytelling abilities creak and moan, the whole novel comes to a grinding halt. Sometimes we’re able to reach into …
Writing Prompts Prompt Good Writing!
By Bruce Hennigan There once was a website called Storypraxis. Perhaps you remember it with fondness. If you subscribed to the site, you would receive a “writing prompt” every 3 days. Your job was simple. Write quickly for 20 to 30 minutes using the word or phrase as stimulus for a short, short story or a poem. No editing. No …
Dreams….
By Roxanne Rustand I was sitting here, debating about what to write for this blog post, when I thought about the wonderful authors, both inspirational and secular, who have influenced my own writing journey so much–whether through the wonderful books they’ve written, or the writing workshops they’ve given at conferences over the years. My very first writer’s conference was in …