About a month ago, I wrote a Writer Fuel on creative burnout and wow did that hit a nerve! I got a bunch of emails from folks sharing how much the newsletter resonated with them and telling me about their own experiences with burnout. One of the patterns I noticed as I read some of… Read more »
If you’ve ever taken a writing class, you’ve probably heard the adage “show, don’t tell.” But what does that even mean? What “show, don’t tell” really boils down to is a question of scene versus exposition. “Show” puts readers right in the middle of the action so they can see the scene unfold almost as… Read more »
Story marketing has been all the buzz for the past several years. More than snappy taglines and fancy graphics, companies have been relying on storytelling to engage their audiences. As writers, we can also do the same with our author platforms, using stories to connect with our readers. Now, I don’t need to sell you… Read more »
As a New Year’s resolution in January of 2007, I decided I was a writer and would start acting like one. No more excuses. I was going to stop complaining and saying that I’d start writing “someday.” I would glue my backside to the chair and start writing right now. The problem was, I had… Read more »
If plot is the skin and bones of a story, then character is its beating heart. A story isn’t truly alive until the characters it is about are compelling and real, raw with want, and propelled by desires shaped by their past experiences. This is true in all genres, no less for thriller and horror… Read more »
Sam heard a faint tapping at the window as he was grading essays. He watched the red pen in his hand stop. He couldn’t believe the heavy rain had already started. He realized he had been working for three solid hours. He had watched the morning news earlier in the day that said the storms wouldn’t come in until late afternoon.
With a sigh, he pinched the bridge of his nose to stop the ache he felt behind his eyes. He decided to get another cup of coffee from the kitchen.
He looked around the small three-foot-by-three-foot space and realized all the coffee cups he owned were in the porcelain kitchen sink. It seemed he’d have to wash one. That was when he noticed the small footprints on the counter where he’d spilled flour the night before.
He wondered if the tiny people were back.
Have you ever wondered, “Have I made it yet? Is this it? When will I ‘arrive’ as a writer?” If you have, I want you to change ‘make it as a writer’ to, ‘living a fulfilling life as a creative’. And if you read on, I will tell what a difference that slight change of… Read more »
Earlier this week, a query response popped up in my inbox. I’ve been shopping around my second novel for almost a year, and even though I’ve sent back a revise-and-resubmit to an agent, it’s been hard to stay optimistic. Naturally, I steeled myself for the worse as I clicked that ominous bold subject. It was… Read more »
Writer’s block, that dreaded situation many a writer encounters when the words just won’t flow. The ideas are bad. The scenes you’re forcing out dead end into nothingness or tedium. You’re totally uninspired. And the longer it lasts, the worse you feel. And the worse you feel the harder it gets to bust through the… Read more »
What’s a Love Story Without a Few Bumps Along the Road? When last we left you, we were extolling the virtues of our critique group. Nothing has changed on that front, but it’s not the whole picture. We have our dysfunctions and challenges. Several challenges were logistics out of our control: managing four time zones;… Read more »
