By:
On:
In: In my house, Rules I live by
With: 6 Comments

I can turn anything into a learning experience… C to P: You’re annoying. P: Mom! She called me a name. Me: No, she called you an adjective. It would’ve been more polite, and grammatically correct, if she had said, “You’re being annoying,” but– My Mom: Do you have to turn everything into a grammar lesson? Me: Yes. C and P: Yes. Background: C is my oldest daughter, P is my youngest. I’m one of those people. I don’t mean to be. I correct copy in news articles in my head. The typist at our office refuses to let me near reports, because I rip them apart, addingRead More →

By:
On:
In: reading, the tech
With: 3 Comments

Right?

However, because I am not a rich person who can drop a bundle on a new Kindle (coming this week!) and a bunch of accessories, I have a plan.Read More →

By:
On:
In: best writer resources
With: 0 Comments

Coming back from a writing dead-end; deadly writing sins; another reason to make your non-writer friends question your sanity; when a crit group sucks the life from your story; incredible writing resource you should already be using, slacker.Read More →

By:
On:
In: writing
With: 2 Comments

So, I needed some creative inspiration. I keep coming back to these characters. Their story stalled on me. It lacked direction, I think. But the characters. I love these characters. Then, a series of blog posts came across my computer, on Tarot cards and writing from Raelyn Barclay (@raelynbarclay on Twitter). I remembered a Material Girl post I did, years ago, about using Tarot cards to help write. I’d even picked out the deck I wanted (which is good, I’d never have remembered after this long). I couldn’t get the idea out of my head. I checked out the cards again and they’re just beautiful.Read More →

By:
On:
In: writing
With: 52 Comments

This post is the first in a series I’m beginning on The Hero’s Journey story structure.  It’s important to note, you can use any structure you like.  In fact, go crazy, have fun.  But, some of the most popular (I won’t say best) films use this structure.  Notable examples include the Star Wars flicks and pretty much anything Disney makes. I’m not saying it’s the best structure you can use.  What I am saying is that if you’re writing popular fiction (as opposed to literary) you could do worse than to at least try to understand how this structure works.  The best way I knowRead More →

By:
On:
In: writing
With: 4 Comments

We suck. Seriously. I mean, there’s lots of reasons we’re awesome. I wouldn’t not be a writer for anything, but still. We always know what’s going to happen next. Well, in fiction. Not like we can predict the future or anything. We yell at the television for bad writing. E.g. “You can’t just ignore the rules in the world you created, writers! Why? Why are you doing that? You’re lazy. That’s why.” We throw books. We even have a name for books that deserve to be thrown. “Wallbangers.” I know this makes sense to us, but how weird is this? We roll our eyes, grumble,Read More →

By:
On:
In: Me, on pop culture
With: 3 Comments

An article on CNN has a woman describing the 10 things she learned from her mom. It caught my attention right away with this: “What’s the worst case scenario?” is a good approach to any dilemma. I’m that mom. I always catch myself saying, “Okay, worst case scenario, X happens. So what can you do?” I’ve always believed that not only do you prepare for the worst so you can handle anything, but also that the worst isn’t all that scary when it has a name. Other Me-Truisms You can’t control how you feel, but you can control how you handle those feelings. Feelings aren’tRead More →

By:
On:
In: writing
With: 6 Comments

There are approximately a billion ways to create a character. A lot of people use character worksheets or questionnaires.  I do not use these.  I will be brave enough to admit that one of those reasons is because I never spell questionnaire correctly on the first go.  That alone puts me off them.  But, really, they just don’t work for me. I have a few personal tricks for developing* a character.  I usually, but not always, start with an idea of what they look like using pictures of actual people.  If it’s not there from the beginning, it comes quickly.  Once upon a time, IRead More →

By:
On:
In: best writer resources
With: 0 Comments

Character Development Questions reprinted with permission by author Heather McCorkle (@HeatherMcCorkle on Twitter) As I started research for my next novel, a young adult historical fantasy, I realized I needed to get to know my new main character. One of my favorite ways to do this is to fill out one of those personal questionnaires about them. This is the one I’ve compiled:1) What is your full name? What name do you go by and why? 2) What do you look like? What are your best and worst features? 3) What is your birth date? Do you celebrate or avoid it and why? 4) How do you preferRead More →

By:
On:
In: Link Licker
With: 0 Comments

I already have a post set to go live tomorrow, but I couldn’t NOT post this newest link licker find.  Well, it’s not so much a find, as I’ve known Carole for years and she really is this amusing (as well as kind and wise) all of the time. I’m including her latest post below the fold, but I deeply urge you to go to her site and read the rest of her offerings.  She’s truly brilliant.Read More →