Some writers use music to set the mood while they are writing. They may listen to a specific time period to conjure a mood or get into the mindset of a character. In general, I’m not one of those writers. In fact, I rarely listen to music at all when I write. I find I can… Continue reading Mood Music for Writing
Category: Writing
Writo De Mayo
Last year and this year I’ve participated in a challenge called Writo De Mayo. It has a lot more flexibility than NaNoWriMo. The participant chooses the goal. I’ve seen goals of “writing # words daily”, “writing drabble/poem each day”, and “finish reading book/research for novel”. This year my goal was to have a second draft… Continue reading Writo De Mayo
Talking Craft
One of the things I miss about a local writing group is the discussion about craft. Each writer has his or her own method of writing. The manner in which we get a beginning, a middle and an ending is as unique as the writer. It’s difficult to agree on what makes a book “good” or… Continue reading Talking Craft
Introducing Jamie Ford
Tomorrow I’ll have a review of Jamie Ford’s debut novel, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet. He’s on tour this month through Pump Up Your Book Promotion. About Jamie Ford: Career-wise, Jamie went to art school in Seattle to become an illustrator, and ended up an art director/copywriter. He’s won an embarrassingly large… Continue reading Introducing Jamie Ford
What Makes a Memorable Villain?
A while back I wrote about unlikeable characters and villains.  One of my writing lists had a recent discussion about villains. What makes a villain memorable? How can the writer make a villain that is more than a two-sided paper cutout? For some, the villain had to be “bad” but have humane qualities. For others, memorable villains… Continue reading What Makes a Memorable Villain?
Ideas
One common question asked of writers is “Where do you get your ideas?” They rarely come from the same place each time. The problem with ideas is the lack of accompanying instructions. I keep a writing journal where I jot ideas, overheard conversations and so on. My PDA holds a memo of blog post ideas… Continue reading Ideas
Discomfort is Okay
It feels safe to have routines but a little discomfort now and then can be good. It provides little ways for us to evaluate why we do certain things and expands our horizons. Why do I write first person in short stories but novels in third person? Maybe it’s time to change things up a bit… Continue reading Discomfort is Okay
Secondary Characters = <3 - Guest Post by Rhonda Parrish
Have you ever fallen in love with a character in a story? How often is it a member of the supporting cast? It happens to me all the time. When I read “Breathers” by S.G. Browne my favorite character wasn’t the main character Andy, but his best friend Jerry. In Neil Gaiman’s “The Graveyard Book”… Continue reading Secondary Characters = <3 - Guest Post by Rhonda Parrish
Trying New Things
As you may recall, last week I was scheduled to attend a knife skills class. Only two students drew blood and none of it was mine! Besides making nicer looking food with a more even cooking time, I have some new characters walking around in my head. Now I have to get them all down on… Continue reading Trying New Things
Good to Try New Things
It’s nearly always good to try new things. Baking is something I enjoy doing. I’ve always found it more fun than cooking. Many times cooking requires constant attention. I’d much rather let something be and then check on it when it’s nearly done. Tonight I’ll be attending a hands-on cooking class covering basic knife skills. … Continue reading Good to Try New Things