Last week I watched the final night of the women’s figure skating contest at the Olympics. Lots of the skaters weren’t have the skate of their lives, but one in particular had a tough night. Every jump she made ended in her falling. I felt for her and I almost cried for her. Not that I’ve…
Category: Writing How Tos
How to Write a Cozy Mystery
Today, mystery author J.Q. Rose is going to share her tips for writing a great cozy mystery… If anyone has a writing question, just pop it in the comments below and I’ll answer. And if I don’t know the proper answer, I’ll make up one! Remember, I write fiction so I make up a…
Plotting Tips with Valerie Ullmer
Have trouble plotting your story? Author Valerie Ullmer has some easy tips to follow… Whenever I start plotting a new novel, I start at the beginning. Story Structure. Your story, whether a short story, novella, or a full-length novel should be told in three acts, with eight plot points specifically placed along the…
Self Editing Tips with Daryl Devore
Here’s author Daryl Devore with some self editing tips we can all use… You’ve written a book – a chapter – a scene – congratulations. Now let’s do a little clean up. First off – don’t be hard on yourself. Everyone makes mistakes. And quite often they are silly little mistakes. So allow yourself to…
Creating Characters with Peter Perrin
Please welcome new author Peter Perrin who tells us how he creates his characters… The first thing I should say about how I create my characters is that this is all very new to me and I’m not sure my method will work for everybody. It is all new because I only had my first…
Monday Motivation-Rejection Letters
Rejections arrive in many ways these days. When I started writing there was only one way you got a rejection letter and that was in the mail. I’d watch the mailman walk by the window to see if he had a manila envelope in his hand. I always used those types of envelopes with my submissions and…
Guest Blogger Caroline Clemmons-Writing A Series
Are you thinking about writing a series? If so, today’s guest blogger, Caroline Clemmons, has some tips for you. Don’t you love to read a series and revisit favorite characters while meeting new ones? Most of my books are part of a series. Not only do I enjoy reading them, I love writing a series. Where…
Guest Blogger Viviana MacKade-A non-English native writer nightmare: grammar.
Did you hate grammar at school? Today’s guest blogger Viviana MacKade tells us it’s even worse when English isn’t your first language. My love for writing sways from absolute thrill for a new idea and all the pre-writing work to the hatred first draft. Still, I love it. All of it. Does…
Insider’s Guide to Editing-A Conversation with Kerry Genova
Let me introduce you to one of my favorite editors (and I don’t say that lightly because I’ve worked with so many I’ve lost count). Kerry was one of my editors at Evernight Publishing and I loved working with her because she made my books shine. Lucky for me she freelances too. When I need…
Creating Characters With Rachel Brimble
Drum roll please…our first guest blogger at This Writer’s Life is Rachel Brimble and she’s sharing her tips about creating characters… How we create our characters is a question often asked of writers by their readers and aspiring novelists alike…and one I can answer fairly easily. At least, I can tell them the process that works for…