2018 is slowly coming to an end. I’ve achieved lots of things on my to do list but I still didn’t get my mystery finished. It’s on top of my 2019 list. Have you made your list yet? I think writing your goals down does help you become more accountable for getting things done….
Author: This Writer's Life
Goals in the Panic of the Holidays and Random Quick Tips [RQTs]
Madeline McEwen ‘s back with another post and more sketches… [As I write this, my spouse, who never reads my work, leans over my shoulder to query my use of the word, “panic.” For him, the word, “holidays,” evokes many emotional responses, positive ones predominate. In response, I’m tempted to flash my lists at him: everything…
Wednesday Writing Prompt-Footprints
Another photo prompt and this one is a footprint. Does it belong to a stranger or maybe your character? Is there some intrigue as to how the footprint got there? How about the markings on the sole? Does your character recognize it? Have fun and happy writing.
Goal Setting for Writers-There’s Always Tomorrow
I wrote this blog post for Coffeetime Romance and thought I’d share it with you here… Another year is coming to an end. It’s often a time of reflection when many of us ask ourselves have we achieved all the goals we set out to conquer? Did you get that book finally finished this year? Did you…
Monday Motivation-Don’t Judge a Book By Its (rough) Chapters
I saw this quote while I know it’s not about books, I thought it was a perfect fit for Monday Motivation. We’re often our own worse critics. We hit bumps in the road of writing, think the story isn’t going to work, and give up. So the message of the week is don’t judge your story…
Friday Ramblings From An Author-Organizing and Planning
The ground is now covered in snow and the backyard was visited by six deer looking for food. You could say it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas. This is the time of year I start to think about the new one and my projects. I’ve been sorting through old files and found one…
How to Make a Teaser Using Canva
Daryl Devoré is back to show us how we can make teaser trailers for books using Canva… I’m not artistic and I’m not good with computer programs. But authors need to advertise and teasers are a good way. So how to I do it? I use two photo manipulation programs – Canva and GIMP….
Wednesday Writing Prompts-Grey Wolf
We’re in the last month of the year so I thought we’d try photos prompts for the month of December. This first one features a wolf. Does your character see it while he or she is hiking? Are they planning to save it? Does it lead them somewhere they never expected? Do they maybe see it as…
Economizing Prose
Say hello to today’s guest blogger, Kathy Otten who offers tips on cutting out extra baggage in our writing… In the same way a driver economizes their gas mileage by condensing trips and monitoring driving habits, as writers we need to do the same with the words we choose to put on paper. During that…
Monday Motivation-Start Anywhere, Anytime
Are you wondering where to start your story? I know lots of students tell me they have a story brewing but at a loss as to where to begin. Don’t let that stop you from writing, begin anywhere…any point in your plot. It could be that will actually be your opening scene. It’s happened to…