Some Thoughts for Pantsers

You’re a pantser. I get that. Life would be boring if you knew the ending of your story before you wrote it. Your characters need some space to grow and develop on the page as they’re doing in your mind. The story is unfolding under your very fingertips, you write as...

Getting unstuck with a mind map

Do you think visually? Have you tried mind-mapping? I’m not normally a visual thinking, but right now I’m pretty stuck. I’m trying to write a Christmas novella and it’s just like pulling a square out of a round hole that I’ve jammed in there really hard. It’s not...

Following Tropes

Something within me has always objected to using tropes. It seems so hackneyed. So been there, done that – by everyone and their second cousin once removed. And yet… I suppose there’s something to be said for using tropes. Technically, a trope is “any type of figure...

A Plan for the New Year

While we’re all focusing on the end of this year, my mind has already moved on to next year. Yes, I know it’s only days away – in fact, by the time you read this, it will already have arrived. But in these waning days of the old year, I’m working on my business plan...