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
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
The first story arc in the world of The Summer Park Psychics is completed, but there’s much more in store for that universe. I’m not sure when I’ll be writing those stories, but I know it will happen eventually. Partly because I’m still living with one foot in their world. I’ve written about tracking fictional … Continue reading Multiple Realities
Having natural talent helps when you want to be a writer. Reading, studying, learning about the craft—that helps too. Practicing is the absolute best thing you can do to improve your skill level. You also need self-mastery. If you can't get yourself to sit down to write, you can't write anything! But is getting into … Continue reading Focus
Today is the release day for Whispering Hearts! I love this book so much. I find it to be a sizzling hot read that gives me chills at the same time! It was hard for me to get behind Rachel's shields and understand who she was when I was first writing the book. I was … Continue reading Happy Book Birthday, “Whispering Hearts”!
One of the skills I’ve been really building lately is patience. Every step of the way in the publishing process, waiting is involved. Get an idea. Patiently type out each word until the book is done. Set it aside, even though you want to edit it NOWNOWNOW. Realize edits will take much longer than you … Continue reading Patience—Revisited
My current process is to write a rough draft as quickly as possible, edit it immediately until it says what I think I want it to say, then put it on the shelf for at least a few months (if possible). At that point, I have enough distance to edit it mercilessly, then polish it up … Continue reading Reading from the Shelved Pieces
Most of the people close to me write. We all have wildly different methods for writing, varying experiences with this creative art. It is extremely fun to talk about and learn new ways I might try to approach things, or even hear about techniques that I know will not work for me. When I'm writing, … Continue reading Conversations with Characters
