August 4, 2021
“How does it end?” A writer friend asked me that question recently after I told him a bit about the story I have started writing. His question stopped me. I’ve been having fun with this story, basically letting it write itself. I’ve been a “Pantser.” (Writing by the seat of my pants.) But I want […]
July 28, 2021
I am now three days into my third week post-surgery. Monday I had 46 staples removed from my back and leaning back against anything hard is definitely more comfortable. However, I am still limited in what I can do. For one thing, I’m not supposed to sit at a computer for a long time. That […]
June 23, 2021
Where do I get my ideas? Well, with THE CROWS, it was the murder of two hunters (that took place close to where I lived) that triggered the idea for that book. When I started thinking about writing a sequel to THE CROWS, three reports on TV triggered the idea for AS THE CROW FLIES. […]
June 9, 2021
The Crows cawed a warning When I lived south of Climax, Michigan, every time I stepped out of my house the crows would start cawing. What they were saying, I’m not sure. Maybe: “She’s out, keep an eye on her.” or “That’s the weird one who tries cawing back at us.” Our house was surrounded […]
May 19, 2021
I copied and shared this from a post I saw on Facebook. Since then it’s been copied by several other writers and shared on their FB sites. It really is true. Nothing makes a writer happier than receiving a review that indicates the reader enjoyed the writer’s book. (Of course, nothing makes us sadder than […]
May 12, 2021
In last week’s blog, Pamela S. Thibodeaux told how she had to rewrite a book in order to get it right. I’m in the early stages of my work-in-progress, but during a critique session I discovered I needed to rewrite a scene to get it right. Sounds easy enough; however, rewriting one scene may have […]
March 17, 2021
In a previous blog I talked about vanity presses and why I think a writer should avoid them. This week the Writers Beware® blog highlighted a bogus company that offers self-published and wanna-be-published writers ways to get their books or unpublished stories looked at by TV and movie companies and/or republished by traditional publishers. I […]
March 3, 2021
Recently I was asked by another writer if I thought she should use a vanity book publisher. With self-publishing so popular nowadays, I didn’t even realize vanity publishers were still out there, but sure enough she had one in mind. I gave her my thoughts, but you may feel different, and if so, I welcome […]
February 24, 2021
Something is Missing My critique group met this week via Zoom. One member is working on a memoir. The section we’ve been critiquing is fascinating. She was in Christchurch, New Zealand when the 2011 earthquake hit. In fact, she and her husband were in the Cathedral at the exact moment the earthquake hit and everything […]
February 3, 2021
Nowadays, most writers can’t simply write a story, send it off to an agent or publisher and sit back and wait for the praise and money. Of course, it’s always been true for most writers that once the story has been written, they must take off their writer’s hat and put on their editor’s hat. […]
November 11, 2020
How good is your eyesight? Can you catch all of the errors in your manuscript? I’m in the process of doing a final read-through before I send my manuscript for Something to Crow About to my editor. The ms has been read, criticized, and edited by four Beta Readers. And, of course, before I sent […]
October 28, 2020
How much backstory does a reader need in order to understand a character, and how soon does the writer need to include that information? The answer to the first part of that question is the usual—it depends. When to include the information is a little easier to pinpoint, but not always. Okay, you’re probably thinking, […]
September 30, 2020
I’m in the process of writing a blurb for the book I just finished. Blurbs and synopses, in my opinion, are as difficult (or maybe more difficult) as writing a book. In a limited number of words, I need to convey enough of the story to entice readers to want to purchase the book. Or, […]
September 23, 2020
Last week I blogged about finishing the rough draft of the book I’ve been working on. To my surprise, a couple people asked where they could now buy the book. This question reminded me that many readers and new writers don’t understand the steps necessary between finishing the rough draft and actually having a book […]
September 16, 2020
Last week I typed “The End” on a story I’ve been working on for four years. I’m not sure why it’s taken me so long to write this story. I haven’t suffered any earthshaking catastrophe, loss, or illness (other than a few months of pain when I broke my back), and I didn’t need months […]
September 9, 2020
Do you suffer from exclamation point glut? Not sure? Do a “Find” and type the exclamation point (!) in. How many do you have in your manuscript? More than one? If so, is its use justified? The exclamation point is often used in text messages. Sometimes in abundance!!! But please don’t use them in abundance […]
August 12, 2020
Last week another writer asked me why I wrote a while instead of awhile in the following sentence: After a while, I didn’t notice the cigarette smell. Years ago, I would have written awhile, but after having editors change that to a while so many times, I now automatically split the word without thinking of […]
August 5, 2020
Writing a contemporary novel is dangerous. The time between when you write it, when it’s published, and when someone reads the story can bring about many changes. With historical novels, the settings, weaponry, devices, language, mores are pretty well set. A writer might fudge a little, have a heroine more modernistic than normal for the […]
May 27, 2020
You do not need a degree in English or journalism to be a writer, but you do need to be a reader. At least, to be a “good” writer you need to be a reader. And you need to read wonderful books and terrible books. Why? Because you learn from both. Whether you’re a person […]
May 13, 2020
You’ve written a story that you think is really good. You want it published. Here are 5 questions you need to answer. 1. Is your manuscript in publishable shape right now? No spelling errors, typos, or inconsistencies in the story? Don’t plan on an editor correcting your errors. Yes, the editor will probably suggest changes, […]