Writing Tips
When Times Get Tough
I was writing a blog this weekend because I was tagged to participate in a game that Mary DeMuth started. What were you doing 10-20-30 years ago? This got me to thinking (sometimes a dangerous thing) about what I was doing. Ten years ago I was just starting to sell again after an eight-year dry…
Taking Your Writing Up a Notch
So you’re finished with the first draft (at least I am) not it’s time to polish. Where do you start? Here are some things to look for when you start the editing process: Look for ways to make your verbs stronger. Below is a list of passive verbs, but not even an active verb can…
Authors and Speaking
I was once asked to give a speech at a ribbon cutting ceremony when I was about fifteen. I was invited to speak because I had somehow managed to enter and win the local Miss Hometown pageant. Maybe it was because during the interview I said my favorite TV personality was Geraldo and I…
Quick Fiction Fixes – Necessary dialogue
We’re all busy, whether working full-time or chasing/chauffeuring kids around all day. Yet we’re also writers, striving to get our words on paper and then polish it to a sparkle. This column gives quick fixes for fiction manuscripts specifically for busy writers. Pick and choose what works best for you! Make sure every word of…
Learning the Craft
What better way to learn the craft of writing than to have it come straight to your inbox from some of the best in the field of publishing, writing and agenting. Here are some blogs I subscribe to and you might want to as well. Chip MacGregor, MacGregor Literary, Check out his post on Proposals…
Cover Story
I have to tell you, I have been THRILLED about the process of working with Heartsong Presents on the cover for Canteen Dreams. Often as a writer, you will hear horror stories of authors who hated their covers, but there was nothing they could do about it. One agent told me that was a place…
Six Elements of Thriller
Here’s a great post by Beth Goddard at Keep Me In Suspense I recently read a book that was labeled as a thriller, but it was anything except a thriller. In fact, I’m not sure I would even call it suspense. Slow reading and back story are words that come to mind for this particular…
Poetic Insights for Your Fiction
My effort to keep the act of writing pure during my journey as a contracted novelist has led me back to poetry. I recently spent a week reading the writings of two poets: Billy Collins, the former poet laureate of the United States and Dennis Schmitz, the former poet laureate of Sacramento. I read these two poets…
Quick Fiction Fixes – Eliminate dialogue tags
We’re all busy, whether working full-time or chasing/chauffeuring kids around all day. Yet we’re also writers, striving to get our words on paper and then polish it to a sparkle. This column gives quick fixes for fiction manuscripts specifically for busy writers. Pick and choose what works best for you! Eliminate dialogue tags. These days,…
Falling in love without falling into bed
Several years ago I read a book called The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman that I immediately saw could not only help me in my day to day relationships with my husband, family and friends, but could help me in planning my plots and coming up with characterizations for my stories, especially since I…