Happiness is the theme of this week’s prompt. For the short story writer, your character is happy about something. What is it? Are they finally happy after years of being sad and depressed? Have they reached a goal or achieved something special? For those of you who are journaling. Think back to an event…
Author: This Writer's Life
Dream On…
I’ve always been a planner…more of a dreamer, maybe. Life has more than once interrupted those dreams and it’s made me more cynical about saying I want to do this and do that…just in case I’m tempting fate. As the calendar turned to 2019, I sat down and thought about lots of things. One…
Monday Motivation-When The Going Gets Tough
It’s easy to write and continue to write when things are going well. The character you created is behaving just how you planned. The plot is writing itself. You sold a story. The true character of a writer comes to light when things aren’t going so well. The plot is going nowhere, your character is…
Friday Ramblings From An Author-New Month-New To Do List
We’re at the mid-point of summer. Did you set any goals? If so, how are you doing? I’ve found putting everything in a month by month to do list folder on my laptop is a big help. Anyone else tried that and liked it? A new class…boot camp begins on Monday. It’s all about writing…
Writing From Experience
Today, J. L. Regen is back guest blogging and telling us about how things that happen in life sometimes find a way into books. And she’s happy to share the news that her book is nominated for Romance Book of the Year by Readers Choice Good luck, we’re cheering for you. I was dating a man like…
Wednesday Writing/Journal Prompts-Saving to Buy
This week’s prompt focuses on saving to buy something. For the short story writer-what is it your character hopes to buy? How are they saving their money and what are they doing to earn the money? Something legal, perhaps not so legal? Something fun? Do they reach their goal? If you’re journaling, think back…
Should Lead Characters Be Nice People?
Here’s a question for you…should lead characters be nice people? My vote is for yes. I’ve been thinking about this all day because last night I watched a new series on Netflix with a main character who I thought was, well, hopefully someone I won’t ever meet in real life. It’s not the first series with a main…
Monday Motivation-Small Steps Lead to Big Gains
You can interrupt this quote by Richard Branson a couple of ways. I like to think that it reminds me that every project starts with small steps. If you’re not willing to put time and effort into those (for example, research for your book, fleshing out your character), then you’ll probably fail at the…
Friday Ramblings From An Author-Goodbye July
I know I say it every month, but I can’t believe how fast July has flown by. I hate to think that summer will soon be a memory…although I do love fall too. As one class ends, another one will shortly begin and this time it’s on the same topic. Crafting a short story and/or…
Title Bout
Here’s today’s guest blogger, Richard Prosch… I can’t start writing anything without a title. Maybe it’s a specific quirk I have, or maybe a lot of writers are like me. I don’t know, but everything longer than a shopping list requires a bold heading, front and center, and—hopefully—something that hints at clever or catchy. …