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In my experience, which ordinarily involves a great deal of slapping myself on the forehead and muttering, “Why’d I do that?”, a writer who is serious about writing has to write everyday.  Did you see how  many times I use the word write or a variation thereof?  Yeah.  That’s because this is some serious writing info. So, every day. There’s a couple of reasons for this.  In the big picture, if you’re not doing it every day, if you’re, say, only writing when the inspiration hits you, it will take you approximately 874 days to finish a novel.  Know how long that is? For-freaking-ever.  AndRead More →

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I posted earlier last month that I was learning about the kernel idea.  The kernel idea for my series came right. to. me.  But then, I realized, I need one for each book.  What’s that book about and why do I care because, if I don’t, why should you?  And I finally nailed  it.  The kernel  idea for book 1 of an unnamed series: A psychic has to reinvent herself using only the gift she hates, a man who gives great graveyard sex but otherwise wishes he’d never met her, and a ghost who won’t stop following her around. It’s awesome, right? I mean, it’sRead More →

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I’m linking to this blog post from Bob Mayer because it explains the kernel idea perfectly and since this post is pretty much what made it click for me. I thought, I can’t do this.  I’m just 2 weeks in the outlining, charactering, plotting phase, and still–it’s not going to happen.  But, as writers, we tend to be a little sentimental about our stories–we dig hard enough, we can remember the moment where we thought, “This will be an awesome story.”  And I found it.  I will update you on how much having this (kernel idea) helps me as I go through the process, butRead More →

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So, I write this novel, a rom-com, and it’s finished and I like it, but it’s not selling.  Which is okay–first novel. Then I started one and it just died out because the characters, well, mostly the main characters, were just dead to me.  And that means flat and dull for you. So, then, I started a new manuscript, but … I just didn’t have my  heart in it. I think, one day, I can make it work.  But not right now. So, then I thought, “Why not write the story that’s been brewing in my head for ages?”  Well, I’ll tell you why not.Read More →

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Title: Show Up Naked: Writing the Male POVInstructors: Chris Redding Date: August 2 – 27, 2010 Classroom: Mile High DESCRIPTION: This class is a fun, but informative trip through a man’s mind. Scary thought, I know, but when you finish this course you will know more about that man in your life and, more importantly, you’ll write believable male characters.The lessons will include: • Male Emotions, yes they have them • Stages men go through • Bad boys, why we love them and how they got to be that way. • Insight into why men can be so sweet one minute, and then the nextRead More →

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Put your notes away before you begin a draft. What you remember is probably what should be remembered; what you forget is probably what should be forgotten. No matter; you’ll have a chance to go back to your notes after the draft is completed. What is important is to achieve a draft which allows the writing to flow. DONALD M. MURRAY via AdviceToWriters – Home – Put Your Notes Away.   I usually post quotes that I, you know, agree with.  But this? No freaking way. I almost spend too much time making notes; I’ll give him that one.  Sometimes it’s a procrastination tool.  Sometimes, youRead More →

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On Kathy Carmichael’s awesome site, she has a form to aid in creating a short synopsis and plotting your story.  You should go download that now.  I’ll wait. She suggests, on the first page, to list ten events that will help change a character’s core belief and to keep in mind the stages of change.  This opened up a whole new way of looking at structuring character arc for me so I wanted to share what I’d found on the stages of change. The earliest stage of change is known as precontemplation. During the precontemplation stage, people are not considering a change. People in thisRead More →

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An excellent article on how to create a set of rules for what’s selling and, more importantly, what you like reading in your romance novels.  It makes it a lot easier to know what to write when you know what you like. But I needed help—some guidelines when it came to spinning a story that was right for the market. And that’s when I realized I should turn to the bible. No, I wasn’t getting religious. This was all about research and the creation of my own bible—a set of rules to follow and requirements to incorporate. This was all about identifying the sort ofRead More →

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So I’m a third to a half of the way through my manuscript and oh. my. God. I knew the beginning.  I had so much to write, to get all these threads and storylines moving.  I had to write and then condense and rewrite just to make sure I could get in everything important without rambling.  And then I get to this point and I’ve got nothing.  What comes next?  I sort of know the ending, though not the specifics, so where do I go from here?  Some ideas. A preset time (say, 30 minutes) of freewriting, preferably with a program that pushes you toRead More →

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I know, subtle title, right?  So, I’m revising because I realized I need more sexual chemistry.  And how do I get that?  Subtle sensuality. It’s not that I’m an idiot when it comes to writing the sex.  Some people have told me I’m quite adept at it.  It’s just that, sometimes, when you’re trying to get a hundred other things right, like plot and characters and goals and motivation–you get it, it’s easy to forget that people who just jump into bed aren’t sexy. I started thinking about personal space.  I’m married with kids, so people are in my space all the time.  We hug,Read More →