By Kristi Holl Starting a new novel can be overwhelming. Our minds jump around as we fill dozens of colored sticky notes with snippets of ideas. Eventually we end up with hundreds of bits of information. Where do we start to make sense of it all? One summer I found a solution when putting together a 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzle with …
Research Matters
by Dana R. Lynn I recently had a conversation with a close friend regarding research. I was researching what a 911 operator’s computer terminal would look like. “What does it matter?” My friend asked, completely serious. “It’s fiction. Just make it up.” He was not the first person that I had heard this from. I guess it all depends on …
Mastering the Art of Story Description
By DiAnn Mills Mastering the art of story description is an exciting creative process for the writer. We use our imaginations to step into a character’s shoes and live the adventure from page one to the end. Various techniques show fresh and unusual details through the point of view character, and the result immerses the writer and the reader into …
Inspiration in the Writing Life from D-Day
By Sarah Sundin This week we’re commemorating the 75th anniversary of D-day, the Allied landings in Normandy on June 6, 1944. As I’ve studied D-day from the sea, the air, and the ground for my Sunrise at Normandy series, I’ve become impressed with the scope and magnitude of Operation Overlord. Obviously, writing novels is a less complicated and far less …
3 Ways to Work Well with an Editor
By Kariss Lynch They say that all good things must come to an end. Sadly, the same holds true in writing. As you turn your manuscript into your editor, you abdicate your position as ruler of your own fictional kingdom in favor of an advisor who tells you all the wonderful things you did wrong and how you can fix …
What Would I Tell My Unpublished Self?
By Patricia Bradley The day this posts my tenth novel, Justice Delivered will release. For the past five years I have been living my dream of being a writer published writer. I’ve been a writer much longer. Much longer. As I thought about this tenth book, I thought about all the things I wished I’d known when I first started …
The Power of Happy Moments
By Grace Hitchcock Sometimes it is tempting to allow drama and heartache to swamp our stories. Years ago, a favorite professor of mine would say over and over how “only trouble is interesting.” Today, I’d like to talk about how happiness can be just as moving/interesting as tragedy and that it is okay to let our characters be happy. Trouble …
In Praise of Reading Poetry
By Glynn Young Like most of us, I read poetry – a lot of poetry – in high school and college English classes primarily because it was assigned. I was much more interested in fiction (Dickens!) and noir mysteries (Dashiell Hammett!) than I was in Tennyson, Wordsworth, Coleridge, and the Elizabethans. My attitude changed with T.S. Eliot and “The Love …
Enjoy the Journey – Even the Detours
by Tracy Popolizio Last year I was given a great, hidden treasure. A book! I say hidden because I didn’t realize the impact it would have on me until months later, when, shuffling through my stack looking to see what might interest me, it caught my eye. I pulled it out and thought I should probably read it because it …
Traits of a Successful Critique Group
By Henry McLaughlin I’m sure we’ve all participated in or heard stories about horrible experiences with critique groups. I’ve had a few myself. Unfortunately, I may have contributed to some of them. To any writers I did this to, I apologize. I’ve been writing seriously for over ten years. During this time, I’ve participated in many critique groups, both on …