Writing Outside In

Writing Outside In

I’m in the plotting phase of my next book. Being a plotter I develop my characters and plan out a good number of my scenes before I even put pen to paper or fingers to keyboard. Being a conscientious, professional writer and well as someone who teaches writing craft,...
It’s all in your head

It’s all in your head

Did what you meant to write make it to the page? When I first started writing, my husband would read my work and then ask me why I didn’t put in this or that, or he would say that he didn’t understand the characters or their motivations. I would explain that I was...
Complete the Character

Complete the Character

Endings are on my mind today. I just spent the last three days with my father (90 years old) who is dying—his body is simply shutting down. Now, we don’t usually write about death in our novels, unless it is a sudden one that must be investigated, but we do write...
Sequels

Sequels

It’s my daughter’s birthday today (Friday, as I write this)—she’s turned 27—and she’s given me an hour to get this blog written before I take her out. We’re going to engage in two of her favorite pastimes—sitting at a café with a cup of coffee and a pastry (something...
Beyond the three act structure

Beyond the three act structure

If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you’ll know that one of my passions is story structure. But, why? I hear you cry with incredulity in your voice. Well, for a number of reasons, actually. First, a well structured story is easier to follow for the reader....
A glance at my writer’s bookshelf

A glance at my writer’s bookshelf

We all need some help now and then. And we all need guidance on how to do this crazy thing we call “writing a novel”. I’ve found incredible inspiration and learned so many lessons from the books on my writer’s bookshelf. Here are some...