At some point in 2011 I read on some blog (that unfortunately I can’t remember the name of) that if 2010 was the year of the ebook, 2011 was the year of the author. I can live with that. In fact, after going through 2010 reading what to me were asinine claims by...
I’m not a big believer in New Year’s Resolutions. I’m more of a goal setter, but the two are definitely closely related. So I thought this year I’d set a resolution or two, then follow-up in the New Year with more specific goals. So, what kind of resolutions should...
Tomorrow, December 1, I'm kicking off a blog event at my blog titled 30 Days of Vampires. I've done this event (along with its companion--A Full Moon of Werewolves) a couple of times now and while it is a ton of work, the pay off is pretty big too. Originally, I...
Close point of view, also called limited point of view, gets you up close and personal with the character who is telling the story. You are in his head. You hear his thoughts and know his opinions. With close point of view, you are able to really get in that...
A year ago I decided to start self-publishing. It was a slow start, but like many other self-pubbed authors, the holiday season (December 2010 and January 2011) were very kind to me. I was excited. I told my writer friends. Some shared my enthusiasm some didn’t. Many...
1.) If you write historical fiction, or even if you write contemporary, but perhaps have a character find a diary or old note, the Online Etymology Dictionary will soon become one of your most used online writing tools. Etymology is the study of the origin of words...
My favorite color is red; it used to be orange. My son’s used to be yellow, and now it is blue. My daughter went from purple to a cerulean blue. My husband...I’m not even sure. He’s kind of neutral on the topic. And here’s the deal, do I care that none of them like...
The Writers Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers This is a great book to read and build on. It alone won't make "all clear," but it's a foundation book you have to read to get the most out of other theories. I mainly consider this a plotting book, but it has other...
How to end a chapter? What's the big deal? When everything is all tied up, you move on, right? No. In fact, everything shouldn't be "all tied up" until the very end. In the body of your story, there should never be a place where everything is 100% good. Sure, the...
