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…
Category: Writing How Tos
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. …
Self-Publishing is a Gift To Writers (and let’s not forget it)
I’ve been talking about my summer reading list and how I didn’t finish three of the books. I chose another three and today, gave up reading the first one on this new list. Please excuse me if I now climb onto my soapbox. I can’t say for sure if all the books on my didn’t read…
Switching Genres
Here’s today’s guest blogger Rhonda Gilmour telling us why she switched genres… Until 2017, I was one of those readers–looking down my nose at romance for the usual stupid reasons: too corny, too predictable, too fluffy. Not that I had any grounds for being a snob since my first three (as yet unpublished) novels were cozy mystery…
How To Stand Out From The Crowd
I probably don’t need to tell you that being a writer is a competitive business. Whether you write fiction or non-fiction, it’s a crowded pursuit. I remember talking to a fellow freelance writer and he said something that stuck with me even to this day. Writers are just like dogs all going after the…
The Journey To Becoming A Writer
Here’s today’s guest blogger, Alice Renaud, to share her story of how she became a writer… My journey to become a published writer was a long one. Thirty-three years long, to be precise. It started when I wrote my first story aged fourteen. It was a sprawling, way-too-ambitious fantasy saga, set in a world that…
Hi Susan-Transforming Stories From Ideas
Time for another Hi Susan and this one was asked by Kimberley… I have a ton of ideas rattling around in my head. First of all, how do I make sure I don’t forget any gems? Second question, how do I determine if one’s good enough to become a story? I loved these questions…
Goal Setting-Be Specific
We’re just about at the half way point of 2019. A great time to look back at the first six months and ahead to the final half of the year. What goals did you set for 2019? Have you achieved any or all of them? Here are five tips for making sure each one is given…
A Little Known Tool for Every Writer
Say hello to this week’s guest blogger Nina Beaumont… I’d like to talk about one of my favorite stylistic devices in my writer toolbox—body language. Using posture, gestures, movements, and facial expressions, you can show your characters’ innermost feelings, set the atmosphere of the scene, and engage with your reader’s senses. In real life,…
It’s Not Always Due to Talent But…
I’m writing this early Monday evening. It’s overcast so sitting outside has lost its appeal. It’s time for fiction. For that mystery that I told you I want to get finished. I’ve been looking at words all day. I’ve been writing for most of the day. It’s my job, it’s what I do. Netflix is…