Creating conflict in fiction, author Karen Shepard puts it so clearly, “Conflict is all about equally formidable forces trying to occupy the same space.” I love it when someone puts a concept in a nutshell. This is all it is … Read More
The mailing list is a vital part of the business of the indie author. Some indie authors mail a lot. I don’t. My goal has been to help people with their writing. My exercises are usually not about beginning … Read More
To have a strong hero he must fight against someone or something. Hero vs. Villain is a tale as old as time. Right now I had done my character work on my two leads. Or so I thought. … Read More
A month ago I went on a hunt for missing pages. Every Writer’s Nightmare. I was getting ready for summer travel and activities and wanted to move some of my work to my laptop. Two of my books are fairly … Read More
Every writer who puts a story aside comes to the time when they must write their way back in. The next steps may seem very clear or very murky depending on how long ago it was that you began that … Read More
I am learning how to write my way back in to my book after years away. I gave 5 really good tips how to do that see this post. I find myself closing in on the first read … Read More
I have been struggling lately with how to return to writing after my 7 year break. This is not to say I haven’t been writing. I have just been writing about life, philanthropy and cancer. Real life took charge in … Read More
Research should never be taken for granted. Even first hand accounts or old family histories can take you far down the wrong road. I have been doing a great deal of family research of late. I have been reading … Read More
Picture a young woman in acting class. Her days are spent creating people from a page of writing by an author she has never met. Somehow she has to breathe life into this character and feel their feelings and justify … Read More
It’s the perfect time of year to freshen up your characters and spring your book forward! My favorite part of the writing process, and the part I am particularly talented at, is the creation of intriguing, unforgettable, deep characters. Characters … Read More