Writing

I’ve picked up a few tricks. Come, see.

Writing Free Form Character Biographies

08.31.2011
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I think I opened one hell of a can of worms when I offered to post one of my sample biographies last week.  Three hours later, I’ve done the prep work and I’m ready to post. The biography I’m including today is for a secondary character in the manuscript I’m working on now.  Because I [...]

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Tagged as: character development, craft, notebooks, POV, process

Best Writing Linkage 08.29.2011

08.29.2011

I was right. Also, a whole bunch of info on how you’re querying and storytelling: you’re doing it wrong. Well, maybe not you. But a lot of people are. And, how will I know if he really loves me…. no, wait. That’s Whitney Houston. How will I know if I found the right person to critique my writing? Better.

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Tagged as: writing articles

Develop Characters Without Worksheets

08.24.2011
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I wanted to work on GMC for my secondary characters. I’d already written maybe fifty pages of info and backstory on my main characters. But, I couldn’t figure out what my secondary characters wanted. Why did my villain steal? From charity money to build a facility for children? I read somewhere, and strongly believe, a character can do anything as long as they have good and truthful motivation. This was a big deal to me. And I had five secondary characters to do this with. They mattered. They needed their own stories, at least in their minds. Yeah, I know, that sounds weird.

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Tagged as: character development, craft

Best Writing Linkage 08.22.2011

08.22.2011

Busy week, so a little light on links today. But, bonus! I’m going to share more info on each link. You’re welcome. And through the wonders of the Wordpress, I am away at a training as this post goes live. In fact, I’m probably in class right now. Technology is kind of bad ass.

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Tagged as: writing articles

Revisited: GMC by Debra Dixon

08.17.2011

Then 03.18.2008 G to the M to the freaking C I bought GMC by Debra Dixon. It’s genius, I’d heard, and it’s true. It’s like having someone explain brain surgery in a book you can read in a day or two, and you finish and say, “Duh.” Before I go on, I’d like to point [...]

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Tagged as: a look at the past

Best Writing Linkage 08.15.2011

08.15.2011

A lot of good links this week from writing sex and dialogue to eReaders–good or bad? to sexism in reviews. Don’t Skip the Sex by Raelyn Barclay: Some links to awesome writing-about-sex info and how learning about writing a sex scene and the need for true characterization has ruined sex-scene reading for this writer. Kathryn Stockett’s ‘The [...]

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Tagged as: writing articles

Revisited: Finishing That First Manuscript

08.10.2011

Then: 01.22.2008 Finis. Sort of. I have finished the first rewrite on the first act of my fist novel. All those firsts, they just kind of sing disaster, don’t they? And yet, oh my god. I felt the same rush I did finishing the thing. The first act, about 140 pages, needed a lot of [...]

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Tagged as: a look at the past

Best Writing Linkage 08.08.2011

08.08.2011

Twice a week, I’m going to post the very best content I’ve found online. On Monday, you’ll get my best writing finds for the last week.  On Friday, the stuff that amuses, confuses, or maddens me. Windows Open or Closed by Kimberly Krey: The value of having an open mind while doing writerly things. Twitter [...]

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Tagged as: writing articles

Revisited: 10 Ways to Unblock Writer’s Block

08.03.2011

Then: 10.25/2007 10 Ways to Unblock Writer’s Block I know, in a logical manner, that writer’s block isn’t a real, insurmountable thing. It’s a lot of possible twists, in your work and in your life, that manifests as, “I don’t want to.” Or sometimes, “I can’t. I really, really think maybe… I can’t!” But what [...]

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Tagged as: a look at the past

Brainstorming with Tarot: An Update

07.13.2011
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So, I’ve had my cards a week now.  First impressions: the cards I chose (the Vanessa Tarot) are small.  I was expecting big and… important.  But they’re small, like regular playing cards.  But once I had them out, handling them, shuffling them–I didn’t mind the size so much. Using the tarot was both harder and [...]

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Tagged as: character development, process, the care and feeding of your muse, writing tools

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