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Scrivener. Although I still make use of paper, I keep my entire outline in Scrivener. I didn’t for the story I wrote before my current one. I kept them on index cards. Then I got sick and didn’t write for a month. And misplaced my cards. Scariest week of my life, thinking I was going to have to recreate that outline.Read More →

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I’ve been struggling to come out of this block I’ve had for the last couple of weeks with my story. I’ve tried writing articles, bought myself a new padfolio from mead.com, and whined to my crit partner. A lot. When that didn’t help, I thought I’d look for some moving quote or bit of advice. I found this. Well. That was rather uninspiring. I do own this now, though, and that consolation can’t be measured.  Read More →

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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 wanted to make comments so you could see my process, I typed it into MS Word, used the Review>Comment button to add info along the right side (in pretty blue bubbles) and, occasionally, in the text itself (but also in blue).   You can download the PDF here* and itRead More →

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  I bought another pack of index cards.  I’m at this point in my story where I’m chucking what doesn’t work (after 11k words, trust me when I say: it could be worse).  I’ve got to keep what works (mostly the characters) and dig deep and find the goals and the antagonist(s) and the conflict. (Why do I forget these things when I first start writing?  It’s like I have to play with my characters for a bit before I can rip them apart and say, “You’re not quite right.”) So, I’m in the grocery store and there’s this pack of index cards. A bigRead 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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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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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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Everyone’s process is different.  I’m still figuring mine out.  Some people make collages or use whiteboards or a special type of pencil.  Here’s a list of the five things I could never write without: My notebook.  Right now, I’m using a hardbacked steno notebook.  It’s smaller and easier for me to deal with.  But I’ve used hardbound journals, 5 subject notebooks, even scraps of paper I stick in my pocket.  The point is, I get ideas all day long, but I have a window of real writing time.  If I didn’t write it down, I’d never remember a thing. My iPod shuffle.  First, I makeRead More →

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Working on a new story that I’m really excited about.  Written down my backstory, written where my characters are immediately before the story starts.  Now I’m working on the GMC charts* for my two protags, my secondary characters, and my one (maybe two?) antagonists.  Once I have this, it will be awesome and make the story better to the nth degree.  But, how much do I hate doing these?  I always have to get the book out and go over the parts I highlighted (thankful for that foresight, go me) and make sure I have concrete, measurable external goals and then the internal part whichRead More →

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A novel notebook. Dead serious here. And I’m going to show you exactly what to buy. A big binder. This is the kind of thing I would buy. It’s cheap, but well-made. It’s huge and it’s got one of those little thingies for holding the paper down. Dividers. Lots of them.  You will thank me later.  These are the exact ones I own, but whatever works for you is perfect. Top loading, economy pack, sheet protectors.  There are some things that you just don’t want to have to find again, make again, whatever–these will keep them safe, handleable (I realize that’s not a word), and easy to getRead More →