My Goals for 2020

THIS IS the first post I've made on this dusty ol' blog in quite some time. If you don't know, I took a long hiatus from social media to deal with a mountain of personal issues and to get my life back in order. Things worked out, the year ended on several high notes, and … Continue reading My Goals for 2020 →

I’m Living the Dream Over Here

TODAY I'VE been thinking about the night I decided on a whim to start my Twitter account. I didn't know why I was doing it at first, but I quickly became connected to this community of authors, and suddenly I had access to one big ongoing conversation about books and writing. This was brand new … Continue reading I’m Living the Dream Over Here →

I’m a Pants Plotter

I SEE this question being asked all the time: plotter or panster? In other words, do you outline first, or do you begin with an idea and let the story take you where it wants? There's an argument for an against both ways of going about it. Some would say plotting in advance is stilted … Continue reading I’m a Pants Plotter →

Your Protagonist’s Low Point

EVERYTHING WAS just fine for your protagonist. They were living a normal life. It wasn’t a great life by any means, but at least nothing bad lurked on the horizon. Or maybe that’s wrong. Maybe your protagonist was doomed if they continued sitting around, not taking charge of their life. Or maybe an imminent threat … Continue reading Your Protagonist’s Low Point →

I Want to Read Your Query

I WANT to read your query and/or your opening chapters. There are many of you out there who can't afford an editor or a query consultant but would love the opportunity, so I'm volunteering to take on as much of a workload as I can manage. At the same time, I would love to make … Continue reading I Want to Read Your Query →

Do You Carry a Journal?

I HOPE you do. Just got confirmation from a writer on Twitter that he does too, and then I started thinking about my journal-carrying habits and wondering if it's common among writers. I guess I shouldn't call them journals. Notebooks and memo apps work too. And it's not like I'm logging my daily activities. I'm … Continue reading Do You Carry a Journal? →