Ideas Are Slippery

Ideas Are Slippery

Ideas multiply. It’s a fact. It’s physics. Energy begets energy. Ideas beget ideas.

I get a lot of ideas when I write. The come from what I’ve written, from my research and from my characters themselves. Sometimes it is a line I write that doesn’t quite fit my current story, but that sparks a new one. Most often, though, it is an idea to fill a hole in my plot I hadn’t realized was there.

Distractions

Distractions

Life is distracting. There is no doubt about that. Texts ding. Calls ring. Cats need petting. Children want food. There are so many distractions. Even ideas can be distractions.

There is something about the new and shiny that demands attention. Even new ideas. They are exciting and the urge to drop everything and follow where they lead is a strong one. Unfortunately, it is also a great way to end up with a hundred unfinished manuscripts.

Strengthen Your Writing By Being Yourself

Strengthen Your Writing By Being Yourself

There comes a time in everyone’s life when you have to embrace who you are, faults and flaws included, although we may try to avoid being that truthful with ourselves. We love to tell ourselves lies—calories don’t count on Sunday, I’ll make up for it tomorrow. In the end, though, we are ourselves whether we own up to it or not. These lies hamper us and our writing.

The Power of Letting Go

The Power of Letting Go

At the beginning of summer my husband urged me to take a break from work, which surprised me. I am a stay-at-home-working mom. I make my own schedule so I can take care of our son. How was I supposed to take a break? Wasn’t my shorter work day enough?

He didn’t think so.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

It’s been a long while since I posted anything. All I will offer in way of excuse is that life caught me by the pen and I got lost in the creative vortex. It happens. Time slips away when words fill the page. I won’t say I am sorry. It has been a wildly creative time for me and one I needed.

Writer’s Resolutions: Forming Habits

Writer’s Resolutions: Forming Habits

If you’re like me, you are probably setting goals for the new year—promises to exercise daily or eat right. It’s the season for starting over and re-committing to good habits. There’s nothing like feeling you have a clean slate and can move forward freely into a new and improved you. But while you’re picking good habits, don’t forget your writing.

The Passing of a Book Lover

The Passing of a Book Lover

I run a small book club that actually reads the selected books. We are a tight group that loves books and sharing them, beyond our group reads. We have a page set up on Goodreads and talk about our lives, books and all things story in whatever form they exist. They are my tribe. The people who understand me. We may not always read the same books or genres, but we share a love of story and the feel of books in our hands. We are true readers.

Making Editors Happy (Part 2 of 2)

Making Editors Happy (Part 2 of 2)

I’ve struggled with the second part of my ways to avoid annoying editors series, mostly because the things that tend to annoy editors (okay, me) are difficult to write about without sounding harsh. I kept trying to couch my comments to be nicer, but in the end decided that telling the truth was more important. It is better to hear about them before you submit than after. So take this advice for what it is: tips to get better so your work is accepted instead of rejected.

Making Editors Happy (Part 1 of 2)

Making Editors Happy (Part 1 of 2)

How? By doing one simple thing. It’s easy. Trust me. I’m going to share one of my biggest irritations as a writer/editor—extra spaces.

Yes, you heard me correctly. I dislike extra spaces, specifically the ones that appear after a period.

I spent today editing materials for a client who clings to old habits and here is what I told him:

My Top 12 Tips for Critiques

My Top 12 Tips for Critiques

I am often asked to critique my friends’ work. I consider it an occupational hazard.

While I don’t mind doing critiques, they do present a few challenges and I always proceed with caution. This is especially true with new and unpublished writers, although it’s tricky with anyone who does not know my critique style. The last thing I want is to alienate another writer or come off as harsh, but I admit I have been blamed of that in the past. The problem is that what I consider a constructive critique (one that I ask for myself) is more detailed and direct than most writers want.

Lessons from a Firefighter

Lessons from a Firefighter

Every head in the coffee house followed intently two firefighters who ran off before placing their order. A call had come through and they booked, taking with them the focus of every set of eyes in the place.

As a group, we watched while they pulled on their turnout gear, climbed in the rig and took off down the street. Minutes later we all looked up as a companion truck roared down the street.

Fifteen of us were riveted to the spectacle.

It made me wonder how to write characters that draw that much attention.