More Questions to Ask as You Write

More Questions to Ask as You Write

Last week we looked at some big picture questions you need to be asking either before you begin writing (if you’re a plotter) or while editing (if you’re a pantser). If you missed that post, here’s a link to it. Today, I’d like to cover some...
Starting Right

Starting Right

It’s been a while since I’ve written about how to start a novel but since I’m working with a new coaching client who is going through this right now, I thought it couldn’t hurt to share what I’m doing with her. How you begin a novel very...
Do your characters have to grow?

Do your characters have to grow?

It’s an honest question. You might think that because I’m a romance writer and one who is always talking about goal, motivation, and conflict that I would be standing here screaming “Yes! Characters must always grow. They must always learn something and develop as a...
Don’t let this get in your reader’s way

Don’t let this get in your reader’s way

When my great-grandfather emigrated from Ukraine to the United States in the mid-19th century, he did so on a set of papers with someone else’s name on them—a name my family still has today. Those same papers went right back to his little village in Ukraine and the...