To kick off the fall writing prompts, this first one is a photo one- Here it is- Imagine your character is looking up at this view. Where are they? Why are they there? What happens after they see this view? If you want to journal, imagine you’re looking up at the trees. What…
Author: This Writer's Life
Hi Susan-Present Tense or Not?
The Hi Susan letters are piling up so I thought I’d devote this Tuesday to responding to one of them. Luanne sent me this one… I’m thinking about writing my story in present tense. Do you think it’s a good idea or should I avoid it at all costs? This is a question with no…
Monday Motivation-Love What You Do
I always say if something you do isn’t fun or isn’t fun any more, it’s time to call it a day. This quote reminds me that sometimes writing is a struggle but if it’s something you love to do, that struggle eventually fades into nothingness. It’s that X factor that eventually separates the published…
Friday Ramblings From An Author-What’s Happening This Fall?
A week of recharging and no, not much relaxation like I’d intended, but that’s typically me. I did get lots done which is always a good thing. First up, today I re-released a back title. Falling for an Alpha, the last in my Perfect Pairings series. Here’s a look at the cover- In non-related book…
Friday Ramblings From An Author-Goodbye August
Today, the short story boot camp came to an end and I have a week off from teaching before the final leg of the year kicks off. Here’s the link to the two classes I’m teaching next month just in case anyone’s interested. One is a plotting your novel boot camp, and the other one,…
Leon B. Burstein/MWA-NY Scholarship for Mystery Writing
V. S. Kemanis is here with this week’s guest blog and it’s a little different but something aspiring mystery writers will be interested in learning about… Is this you? You’re just getting started in the field of mystery writing and eager to hone your craft. You’d like to enroll in a writing course or attend a…
Wednesday Writing Prompts-What Will You Remember?
Have you enjoyed the journaling prompts I’ve combined with the short story prompts? I’m thinking about continuing with them through fall, even making them a separate post and would love some feedback. For this week, and as summer is winding down, the theme is remembering the summer of 2019. For short story writers, what happened to…
The Business of Self Publishing
Last week, I focused on the business side of writing. I had lots of people contact me saying how helpful my tips were and that got me thinking. These days, more writers are choosing to be self publishers…yes, I’m one of them now. Just because you’re doing everything yourself and more in control of what…
Monday Motivation-It’s All About The Goals
I always talk about goals and creating them because of your why. Why do you want to do something, not why your friends think you should or a parent did something and you need to follow in their footsteps. It has to come from your heart and not someone else’s or you’re doomed to failure…
Friday Ramblings From An Author-Summer Winding Down
I looked outside today and noticed leaves on some trees have started to turn from green to orange. Some mornings have been chilly so I won’t be surprised if more join in. Some think of the New Year as the time for goals and plans, but there’s something about fall that gets me into…