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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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’tis be, as described, th’ best character name finder ever. Let’s spy wit’ ye eye, ye can pick which letters it can’t or must start wit’ or end wit’, th’ length ‘n number ‘o syllables, even what letter sequence it contain. Then thar’s style preferences, like: Traditional, Contemporary/Invented, Passin’ Fashion ‘o th’ Past, etc. Then ye decide how popular a name ye want ‘n whether it be popular in locales outside th’ U.S. Extremely awesome. ‘n once it gives ye a list ‘o names, then ye really start diggin’ in. ETA: This post is in Pirate, because it’s…. Talk Like A Pirate Day! Using theRead More →

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I just ordered some books for my daughter because she’s become hooked on Nora Roberts and somehow I’ve managed to keep one or two books of a trilogy and be short the rest.  So I rounded out about four trilogies for her and placed my order. So you know, I’m a clicker.  I’m one of those people that will totally start out on a page about, say, rabbits and end up on a page about how to make a quilt out of old t-shirts.  That being said, I innocently clicked on the recommendations for me link.  And I saw this. (Digital How to Write aRead 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 →

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Today’s pick was kind of a no-brainer since I recently got one of these.  First it started with the red spots on my leg when the fan blew the hot air out the side.  Then the laptop started shutting off from overheating.  Which, in theory, great feature.  I don’t want to do permanent damage to it.  But, it’s annoyingly helpful. So, I picked up one of these.  Now, it’s much more comfortable on my lap (hadn’t realized how hot this thing was really getting) and my computer and data are safer.  Thumbs definitely up for this low-cost fix.  Read More →

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That’s right.  For real, this time.  The sabbatical is over, my soul has been searched, I found myself just past that fork in the road, and I am here again! Okay, so, Mondays = Material Girl. Today’s offering, for you, my beloved writers and readers of writers: OMFG File Tote— The best part is that it’s reversible, so if you want to look all semi-professional, just flip it over.  And it’s all “ASAP” and everyone thinks, “Man, is she on her shit, or what?” Enjoy!Read More →

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A friend (an awesome friend who I love, fyi) bought this book, Revision & Self-Editing, for me after I featured it on Material Girl. I was correct in my assessment that it would be helpful.  It is, in fact, extremely informative.  James Scott Bell covers all the elements of writing: character, POV, scenes, plot & structure, etc.  Each chapter offers valuable exercises and techniques.  I couldn’t recommend this book more. (Thanks again, Jen!)Read More →

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Not advocating the writing of such, but I found this Erotic Thesaurus – A Guide to Purple-Prose for the Literary Artist. Edit 08.19.2012: Recently this site has been down for exceeding its bandwidth. If it’s not working, my site will (usually) strike-through the link text. If that continues, I’ll remove the link.Read More →

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This is a link to the critique group that I joined recently.  It’s already made a huge improvement in my writing because I see my weaknesses, and my strengths, much easier now.  Add to that, it’s a great group of people and it’s a lot of fun reading all the great stories from so many talented writers.  If you decide to join, say hi to me! Romance CrittersRead More →

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Today’s Material Girl link won’t cost you a dime*. Enjoy it, that’s pretty rare. It’s called Lovely Charts (a hug for my friend Kris for thinking of me when she saw it). I tried it out, and it is lovely. It comes ready to build several different types of flow charts, including people. How’s that for connecting your characters? I happen to have drawn one of these before, using tables in Word–it’s not fun. Lovely Charts? Fun. *Update 6.29.2011: It’s no longer free.  Sorry! *Update 11.22.2016: Site is now defunct. Goodbye Lovely Charts.Read More →