Drafts of a novel

Drafts of a novel

by | Mar 31, 2019 | Blog, Method, WIP, Writing

You’ve probably all heard of Nora Roberts’ first POS draft that she writes. She’s a “pantser” – she gets an idea for a book, allows it to gestate in her brain for a little while, thinking of who the characters might be and what they want and then she sits down at her...
How to Write a Romance

How to Write a Romance

by | Feb 24, 2019 | Blog, Method, Writing, Writing Craft

A friend of mine who writes horror was thinking of writing a romance novel as a change, so I thought maybe I’d give her a little advice. Let’s start with the definition of a romance – it’s a story where two beings (people/creatures/aliens, whatever) fall in love and...
Organize Yourself

Organize Yourself

by | Jan 6, 2019 | Blog, Method, Writing, Writing Craft

With the new year, I love to re-organize myself. I create a new calendar (modified from Audrey Hughey’s fantastic author planner) and take a good look at my computer filing system to make sure that all my books and pictures are well backed up and everything is easily...

Get to that Goal

by | Nov 4, 2018 | Blog, Method, WIP, Writing, Writing Craft

We all know the importance of Goal, Motivation, and Conflict in our characters and their story, but as I’m grappling with the end of the book I’m writing, it’s becoming increasingly important for me to keep this in mind, so I thought I’d share my thoughts on the topic...

It’s Nearly Nano: Writing Fast

by | Oct 28, 2018 | Blog, Method, Writing

It used to be that if a writer went for advice on how to get their writing done quickly, the answer was simply BIC (butt in chair). Today, things are a little more complicated. So here are five easy things you can do to speed up your writing: BIC-TOI&N: Butt in...
Editing Tips

Editing Tips

by | Oct 7, 2018 | Blog, Method, Writing, Writing Craft

(It’s a clever title, I know. I strive for the best!) For some people editing is the bulk of their writing. They throw stuff down onto the “page” and then edit it into shape. For others, editing is the last stage—what they do just before sending their work off...