There are certain steps in starting out a new project that I now realize are not optional. They provide fuel that keeps me going, even activating my subconscious. One of the most important of these steps is to make desktop wallpapers for my devices—my own take on a vision board. I learn so much about … Continue reading Vision Boards
No, not the movie 🙂 I'm talking about the beginnings of an idea. The seed of a story. That moment when you realize you may have some ephemeral thing that maybe—just maybe—you can transform into words on a page. Because once you have your characters, you need a grand adventure for them to go on. … Continue reading Inception
Happy New Moon day! At least, in my part of the world 🙂 February's full moon is called the Quickening Moon in some Celtic traditions, and it is one of my favorites. Things are happening. Energy is gathering. Momentum is building. Beneath the frozen earth, things are pushing, pushing, pushing toward the surface. We may … Continue reading Goals for the Quickening Moon
There's another type of conflict that I consider important enough to get it's own sub-category within internal and external conflict when I'm thinking through my writing, and that's relationship conflict. With any of the Romance genres, this is especially important to establish and work through. Honestly, I think it's just as important with any character-driven … Continue reading Fictional Relationships
I'm pushing my writing craft post to tomorrow to enjoy the Science Fiction Romance Galaxy Awards today! My TBR pile is sure to grow 🙂 I love learning about new authors and books through these awards. The judges' mini-reviews are so helpful, and it's great to see what stands out most to them. Judges get … Continue reading SFR Galaxy Awards for 2019!
We've talked about writing sympathetic characters, writing three-dimensional characters, and giving our characters pasts. All of these things are meant to create characters that readers can truly connect to in one way or another. Writing conflict is what activates the connection we've established. If a character sits around doing nothing, there is no story. If … Continue reading Writing Conflict
Last week, we talked about fleshing out characters by thinking of how they'd react in everyday situations that might not come up in the story. Another important factor in building characters that resonate with readers is working through their back story. Where did the character go to school? Did they have lots of friends? Or … Continue reading A Past Beyond the Page
We're delving deeper into characters this week with a look at...delving deeper into characters 🙂 No matter how many sympathetic choices you show a character making, readers can't really connect to a character if there's nothing of substance to connect with. As readers, we say that characters are sometimes flat or shallow. Usually, in those … Continue reading Writing Three Dimensional Characters
It took a heck of a lot longer than I expected, but I've revamped my web site at last! I love the new look, and can't wait to see how it develops over the coming year. I'm most excited about adding to that side bar full of books, of course 😉 Now that this is … Continue reading New Year, New Look!
Part of my plan for 2019 is to write a series of blog posts that pull back the curtain on some of my thoughts and methods for writing. So many readers I talk to are curious about what goes on behind the scenes in the creation of their favorite books. I've also been approached by … Continue reading Writing Sympathetic Characters
