by Susan Lovett | Sep 9, 2015 | Blog |
School has started and I am back to work as well. I took a bit of a break there at the end to snatch some time with my son. It was a long summer of working in odd hours around my son’s schedule because I am one of those stay-at-home-working-moms who writes around my family. It’s the best of both worlds. Yes, it’s easier on camp days or when he’s in school, but I would never give up my time with him. It is what makes working late at night (after bedtime) or sneaking in a bit of writing time while he’s distracted by Minecraft (thank you, Notch!).
That is all done now though. Labor Day has passed and I find myself back behind the desk during normal hours. It is heaven. Pure heaven.
by Susan Lovett | Aug 6, 2015 | Writing |
I work in the film and video industry, when I am not writing speeches, social media content, articles or a novel. Although the novel thing is rather new.
(Okay, it’s not really new, but it’s been recently that have I written the first draft of the only novel I want to edit. So that’s new.)
As I am transitioning from film to fiction, I have run into a host of problems: the biggest being a serious lack of B-roll.
by Susan Lovett | Jul 30, 2015 | Writing |
I was a double major in college–Creative Writing and Music. While my parents were not thrilled with my choices, I was, even though it happened by accident.
I wanted to be a singer. It was my goal from an early age. I was that child who would hold her hairbrush and sing for hours, dancing around the basement or my room pretending I was performing in front of crowds. The only odd thing was that I always envisioned myself on USO tours instead of huge stadiums. I wanted to live that iconic image of the Bob Hope show for the troops in war zones, otherwise the touring did not appeal to me.
So off I went to college with the hope of someday cutting a platinum album and going off to war to sing. I was young. It is my only defense. That and being a military brat.
by Susan Lovett | Jul 21, 2015 | For Writers |
Trends come and go. It’s not difficult to track them, particularly in publishing. Scan the new releases book shelf at your local book shop and read book blurbs. You will identify the trends.
Publishing news and book reviews are a good source too.
The information is out there. The problem is that the information is dated by the time it reaches would-be writers. The trend began when the writers sat down to write the books, years before.
by Susan Lovett | Jul 10, 2015 | Blog |
Twenty tips to strengthen your research and add more depth to your stories. Research is the key to details that bring your writing to life.
by Susan Lovett | Jul 7, 2015 | Blog |
Reading is my hobby, my passion and my obsession. I am not afraid to admit that I collect (hoard) books and have more than 7,000 books in my house. They are in every room, in every corner. My husband fears for the structural integrity of our floors on higher levels. He is not wrong to do so. Books are heavy.
I cannot stop buying them. Each one offers such possibilities. Will they become a friend or a mentor? Will they disappoint, but teach me why that is? Will they linger on my shelves for years waiting for me to open them knowing I may never catch up with my stack of books to read.
My library is a source of pride, happiness and anticipation. It feeds me and sustains me. It gives me comfort.
I am an addict.
A book addict.
When I can’t read, I turn to audio books. I love to listen while I use the treadmill or go on long solo road trips. For those short jaunts about town, I turn to audio short stories.
The great news is that there are plenty of places to get audio files for free, here are some of my favorite:
by Susan Lovett | Jun 24, 2015 | For Writers |
There are many perks to a writer’s lifestyle, don’t get me wrong. I love so many things about my career–making my own hours, working in my cozy home office or in a park, choosing what I write about (except when it comes to client work, where I choose to either take it or not), the joy of putting words on the page, that rush from crunching a deadline, the satisfaction of writing a good sentence. The list goes on and on, but there is one perk that comes before all others.
I became a writer because I wanted to learn. It was that simple.
by Susan Lovett | Jun 15, 2015 | For Writers |
Since starting this blog, I have been asked about my writing process. In all honesty, it varies depending on the medium—scripts, articles, speeches, novels. The format drives some of my process, and yet there are a few things that remain constant.
My first step is to find the throughline of whatever I am writing. I have to know what is driving the writing.
by Susan Lovett | Jun 10, 2015 | Writing |
Writing is more than a collection of words strewn across the page. It has life and voice. We hear it when we read to ourselves. It speaks to us and takes on a life of its own depending on the author.
The voice of a story is what makes it come alive in the reading and it is the most important skill a writer can have. It’s what sets one writer apart from another—a Hemingway (short, short sentences) versus a Faulkner (who goes on and on), a Gaiman from a Melville. These are not the same voices. They sound different in our heads. The way these authors string words and sentences together creates different rhythms and cadences as we read along. They pull at us differently.
Below are a few examples of voice in writing. The first example is from one of my favorite authors.
by Susan Lovett | Jun 3, 2015 | Writing |
Writing comes to life in the detail. Get those wrong and watch out. Readers will revolt. They will spam your Twitter feed, your inbox and anything other avenue they can use to reach you. People love to correct mistakes. It’s in our nature. Readers most especially. They take their facts seriously, in fiction or no.
Don’t believe me? Try giving incorrect directions in a novel about Los Angeles. Readers will tear you up. There is something that drives people in LA to obsess about their roadways in a way that I have never understood. Read any story set in LA and you will find a jumble of numbers scattered throughout–the 5, 10, 110. Get one turn wrong and let the harassment begin.
The same reaction holds true for any specific group–military, law enforcement, medical professionals, lawyers, etc. Each group knows the verbiage particular to their trade and they know when people are posing.
by Susan Lovett | May 12, 2015 | Writing |
Writing requires motivation. It is that thing that requires caffeine, purpose and often a Herculean-sized will power, not to mention the real possibility of therapy.
Motivation is what propels action in both people and characters. It was what gets your butt in the seat and the words flowing, whether like creeping lava or a flash flood.
Motivation is what keeps you coming back day after day to write, even when you don’t feel like it.
The truth is there are days when sitting down to write is not easy, before the first word is even conceived. But no one said it would be easy. It’s not. It is also not the point of this article. We all know writing is hard. (You can talk about your personal motivation with your therapist or friends.)
by Susan Lovett | May 5, 2015 | Blog |
My father was a master storyteller. Not by trade, but by personality. He couldn’t help himself. He refused to accept an average life and instead turned simple trips intro grand adventures. It was far better to live large.
