“Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting.
So… get on your way!”
My daughter and I were strolling the aisles of the local dollar store, when this little notebook caught my attention. It was leather, and robin’s egg blue and embossed across the front was “Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So… get on your way!” with a picture of a creature that could have only been doodled by Dr. Seuss. I couldn’t help but feel this little book held more value than a dollar. Read more
I recently learned that although I don’t consider myself to be a procrastinator, when it comes to querying, I am.
There’s always something more to do;
The problem is – it’s a never ending cycle. If I am going to wait until the third book is polished, it could be another ten years before the first book is ready to query, because that’s about how long it took me to edit the first book. Read more
Life is BusyWe all have commitments that fill up our day, our calendar and our thoughts.
At times, it seems as though my life and the choices I have made are overtaking my ability to continue to decide how I want to spend my day.
There comes a point where we need to clean house and decide what must stay on our ‘to do’ list, however, lately it seems the things that tend to get kicked off my plate are things I actually want to do.
Time to give up. Toss in the towel. Zip up the heart and close the computer screen.
If you know me at all, I can already imagine you shaking your head and mumbling,
“What’s the catch?”
Allow me to digress, one last time, into storytelling, because as I’ve stated, I’m quitting this writing thing. Read more
I recently completed the Muskoka Novel Marathon for the third time, which, considering we raised over $30,000 to support adult literacy programs, is amazing, but this year that marathon was at times, a painful struggle. As I reflect, sitting on my deck, watching my cats make peace after an earlier squabble, I realized that I as well needed to forgive. To forgive myself for poor writing and to give myself permission to write, even poorly. Read more
I’ve been crafting this blog in my mind for weeks and then today, my blog was hijacked by Abby.
I had it all planned out. I completed my research, aligned my information points and was prepared to deliver you the hard facts on creating the perfect author website. I had a series of blogs planned in order to share my experience as a writer, who, in denial of the times, was holding to the statement that I didn’t need a website. I would chronical how I finally caved to logic and I was going to use my blog to share what I’ve learned and will learn through this adventure so that other authors may embark on creating their own website. Read more
The immense benefits of a writing group are not always obvious from the beginning of an adventure. You may have mixed feelings as you sign up for a writing course or attend a conference or sit in on a writer’s group meeting as an observer, but I can tell you, there will be benefits you could never have imagined. Read more
As I was researching for this blog, I found myself thoroughly confused. So this blog post comes from a place of sincere learning – no preaching. I don’t have a literature degree. I have no formal writing courses other than the many conferences and lectures I have attended. I simply love telling stories and think I have a unique perspective and the heart to tell a pretty good story.
My lack of training does not mean I take any less pride in my craft. I want to express myself eloquently in a word frugal fashion that will capture my reader and wow those who are formally trained. The worst crime I could commit, would be to place a reader’s imagination into a fantastical place, only to rip them from that reality when they stumble into a passive sentence. Read more
Early in my writing career, I was telling instead of showing. Recently, I discovered I’ve been showing through repetitive flashbacks and my writing has become predictable, often times reading like the chapters of a Biology textbook. Although my writing has a veterinary medical background, when I’m creating fiction, I need to alter my style to be sure my flashbacks serve their story telling purpose.
I’ve researched how to conduct a health check on my flashbacks to ensure they fulfill their purpose of delivering backstory, highlighting a character’s motivations or adding context and meaning.
When flashbacks are done well, they add depth and emotional resonance. Done poorly, the reader can become confused, bored or disengaged with your story. Read more