Writing Well

Learning to Write by Writing

5 More Things to Do After the First Draft

| December 28, 2011

A few posts ago, I listed five things you could do while you’re waiting to get started on revisions for your current manuscript. You can see that post here. Since then, I’ve thought of a few other things that are necessary to writing but often get left in the background when writing is front and [...]

5 Things to Do After the First Draft

| December 14, 2011

You’ve spent months on it. Hours with your backside planted firmly in the seat of your chair, staring at your monitor and, hopefully, pounding the keyboard. The novel is finished. Now what do you do? Thomas (one of our two cats) appears to have the right idea. Find a nice patch of sun and take [...]

The Biggest Hurdle

| September 10, 2011

Many factors play into the writing life. Imagination. Creativity. The ability to say what you mean in interesting and understandable ways. But there is one thing that surpasses all of the skill and talent in the world. A friend of mine calls it stick-to-it-iveness. Without it, you’re just a well-intentioned and talented wannabe. There’s definitely [...]

First Person – Muting MY Voice

| September 3, 2011

I love writing in first person. My two favorite manuscripts are written first person. My favorite one is written first person male and that lead character is my favorite son. He’s also head strong, opinionated, and difficult to manage, but that’s another post! Writing in first person comes with inherent risks. It’s such a turn [...]

Inspiration or Perspiration?

| July 9, 2011

I’ve been a ‘business artist’ a lot longer than I’ve been a ‘business writer’. I’ve been painting for profit for over 35 years. I’ve been a disciplined writer since June 2008. A little over three years. During that time, I’ve talked with dozens of artists. I’ve also talked to dozens of writers and one of [...]

Favorite Blog Posts this Week, 2011-06-25

| June 25, 2011

This week, I’m sharing with you some of my favorite – and most helpful – blog posts from the week just past. Click on each title to read the blog post. I hope you find them as helpful, entertaining, and fun as I did. Whither Goest the Christian Cozy? Author Ron Benrey discusses the status [...]

Frequently Asked Questions – Ideas

| June 18, 2011

How do I like an idea long enough to develop it when they all fade after a good night’s sleep? The short answer is that if an idea fades after a good night’s sleep, it’s probably better left alone. At least for the present. It may be a perfectly suitable idea sometime down the road [...]

5 Ways to Bore Your Readers

| May 28, 2011

Carrie takes a look at five ways for authors to alienate their readers.

Story Element: Point of View

| May 21, 2011

One of the first things every writer has to decide when starting a new novel is point of view. Who among their characters will be telling the story? Learn about four points of view.

What Are You Telling Your Readers?

| May 7, 2011

In a previous post, I talked about finding the voice of my writing as a body of work and for each individual story. This time, I’d like to talk about finding the message of a story. It may seem like voice and message are the same, but they are not. Closely linked, yes, but not [...]