Craft
The Pomodoro Technique®: Productivity for Writers, One Tomato at a Time
by Jane Steen Like most writers, I’m constantly busy. If you’re serious about writing, there’s a never-ending to-do list: blog, read, review, draft, edit, absorb, learn, redraft. But there are times when ‘busy’ turns into ‘overwhelming.’ When I’m trying to complete a big freelance project and write a first draft at the same time, for…
Cherry Blossom Capers is HERE and a Giveaway!
Cherry Blossom Capers, my first book, came in the mail the other morning! And I’m celebrating by giving a copy away to one commenter here!!
Author Mari McCarthy on No Time to Write
No time to write? Put it in your journal! A writer is for life. That’s why many who love writing find themselves now and then unable to devote time to it. There may be portions of your life when it’s no more possible to give serious attention to writing than it is to walk on…
Getting Past the Excuses
A while ago, Gina encouraged us to stop making excuses, put aside the distractions, and just write. Sound advice. I’d like to expand on her topic, and offer a suggestion on one way folks might make this a reality. As Gina said, writing is HARD. If you’re writing a novel, it might seem next to…
A Sound Among the Trees Book Giveaway!
I love the way Susan Meissner weaves history with present day in an engaging tale relevant to both time periods! If you would like to win this book, tell me what is your favorite time period OR who you’d most like to BE in history! Contest open to US residents only! It is time for…
Where Do You Autograph a Book?
I love autographed books from the author and keep them on my shelves for years. In yesterday’s mail, I received a new book. The author and I corresponded about it through email and I asked her to autograph it. I was surprised at where she signed my book—on the inside of the front cover. In…
Don’t Let Anyone Steal the Music of Your Soul!
Last weekend I saw the musical Memphis, and I was blown away. The music, the dancing, the story… By the end I was in tears. Sure, the storyline took me on an emotional journey of two star-crossed lovers in Memphis, a segregated, racist city, in the 1950s, a time when blacks and whites didn’t mix. It…
Story Engineering by Larry Brooks
by Ron Estrada Like many aspiring novelists, I tend to collect “how to write” books. I think I have about a dozen on my bookshelf and have read another twenty from the library. All have been useful, inspiring, and informative in their own right, but only a chosen few have made it to my “must…
Wings of a Dream by Anne Mateer
Rebekah plans on leaving the farm life for the big city with Arthur once the Great War ended. In the meantime, she heads to Texas to take care of her aunt, who’s been struck with the Spanish flu. It doesn’t hurt that Arthur is in Dallas training to fly planes. When she arrives in Prater…
Writing Action vs. Summary
When it comes to writing fiction there are two ways to write scenes. One is to “show” the action. The other is to “summarize,” which is called narrative. How do you pick which to do when? Consider the importance of the scene. I’ve been working with some new writers and one common mistake is that…