How to plot a romance novel

How to plot a romance novel

I was recently asked for references on how to plot a romance. As someone who’s been writing in the genre for years and reading as many books on the craft of writing as I can, I had very few recommendations for romance-specific craft books. It’s not that...
Make This List

Make This List

With the new year, a favorite thing for many to do is to pause and look back at the previous year. The end of December is filled with lists of things that have happened, people who have left us, fashions that have come and gone, even new words and phrases that have...
Marvin is Quite Amazing: A Review

Marvin is Quite Amazing: A Review

I live off my to-do lists. I have also tried many different ways of keeping them. I’ve tried keeping them on paper in my daily planner (I still do that), I have tried writing them on a little mini easel white board (I do that when I’ve got a ton of things I need to...
Do Your End of Year Wrap-up

Do Your End of Year Wrap-up

Usually at this time of year there are thousands of wrap-up the year blogs and articles. Maybe it’s me, but this year I’m just not seeing so many. Is it because, like me, so many have been caught off-guard by the fact that the year is already over? Or are...
The Conflict Box

The Conflict Box

Continuing on with the theme of conflict (because I’ve been having so much trouble resolving the conflict in the book I’m writing and because the book I’m editing doesn’t have nearly enough), I was recently reminded of the conflict box....

World Conflict (in fiction)

How interesting is your world? Is it interesting enough that you would want to live there? Too interesting that it would terrify you to do so? I recently heard about someone who created a world so dull that she didn’t even want to create her story anymore (it was a...