Neesha Meminger's first novel, Shine, Coconut Moon, made the Smithsonian's Notable Books for Children list and was selected as one of the Top 100 Books of 2009 by the New York Public Library's Stuff for the Teen Age. Her second novel, Jazz In Love, released to rave...
So you want to plot a book... Not every writer is a plotter; I realize that, but I'm also a strong believer that your writing will be more efficient if you have at least some idea where your story is going. So, if the idea of writing out a hundred scene cards or even...
Did the title throw you a bit? Over the past year there has been a lot of talk about the future of publishing--and if there IS a future in publishing--but no one seems to ask about the future of writing. Honestly? I think a lot of people think publishing and writing,...
When I first started writing, I'd never heard of motivation reaction units (MRU). What I did know, though, was sometimes things just didn't seem to flow. Sections of prose would feel awkward and just not right. So I would re-read and re-word until they did. Even after...
Procrastination... Life... so many things get in the way of actually finishing that book that you've been writing for what? Years? Ages? What can you do to get around whatever blocks are your path and finally just finish writing a book? 1. Be honest about why you...
You may not write suspense novels. You may not even write mystery or thriller novels, but that doesn't mean you don't need to add suspense to a story. Any type of book can use the spice of a little, added suspense. And all stories need at least some deadlines and...
Anyone a fan of The Maltese Falcon? How important is the Maltese Falcon in the story? Well, it’s ALL important and in the end, not important at all. The item itself turns out to have no real value to anyone—but what makes it important is it gets the characters and...
Writing point of view in fiction. It's a big deal. Choosing one point of view over another or one type of point of view over another can completely change the story you are telling. Writing point of view badly or sloppily can ruin the story you want to tell. Point of...
If you ask a writer what they hate about writing, writing a synopsis may very well be their answer. Why do writers hate writing a synopsis of their book? I mean they wrote the book. They know the book. Hopefully, they at least somewhat like the book. I think it's...
