Sometimes, I feel like I have the power to make a difference. Does this ever happen to you? Are you harboring tiny pockets of power that could be used for something good?
What if YOU could be the reason someone smiled today?
What if YOU could make a small difference in someone else’s life?
What if I finished a novel, published it and it was because of YOU that it hit the New York Times Bestseller List? Read more
I use lots of tools when I write, though some of them aren’t recognized readily as such.
Many of my contemporaries use Scrivener, and yes, I have a copy of it. But what it does seems to me to be what I already do in my head. And in order to do that it seems to make more work for me in advance.
I know they’re going to argue with me, so I’m just putting up a virtual hand now and telling them I’m happy that it helps them. I am always in favour of anything that helps people get the job done.
I use a word processor. That’s probably my number one tool. It isn’t Scrivener, it isn’t even Word.
Do you often laugh out loud when you’re reading? Not just a smile or chuckle when you come across something funny but a real out-loud laugh? I do. It’s always a nice surprise and can provide a bit of levity in a serious story and a welcome break in tension.
Leigh Anne Jasheway, in her article How to Write Better Using Humour, refers to studies showing that humour enhances how much we like what we’re reading and how well we remember it afterward.
Recently I came across a hilarious account of someone trying on a bark collar before putting it on her pet. The collar got stuck, the spray feature on the collar repeatedly doused her with citronella, her dog commenced barking at her predicament and the neighbour was laughing too hard to help.
Who doesn’t enjoy sharing a laugh? Read more
This spring I bought a trailer. It’s a small, 11 foot, teardrop TAB trailer that my car can tow. I love tent camping in the wilderness. Lately though I have been camping in parking lots and fields and decided to upgrade to a trailer. I named my new acquisition, Quill, as she has a porcupine shape to her. And I hope she will be a productive writing partner.
I have a romantic vision of roaming the countryside with Quill, camping by lakesides and writing while the sun emerges from the horizon. Read more
It seems some days, I will never learn from my mistakes.
You would think, from the number of examples I can remember, of my utterly dismal performance, that I would improve, get better, and learn how to re-read my work before submitting.
However, recent events would suggest otherwise. Read more
Ah, September and the smell of books is in the air. Even after many years, it’s hard not to think of this time as “back-to-school”. Of course, my daughters are getting ready to do just that, so it’s not that hard to forget. September always feels like a mini-new year to me, maybe even more so than the actual one. Any new year marks a time for reflection, reviewing past goals and accomplishments and setting new ones. I never get as much writing done as I imagine I will in the summer. The promise of loose schedules leads more toward chaos than it does free time. There’s such a hustle and bustle to the summer, a desire to enjoy every golden moment before it’s gone, do all the summer things and then ask ourselves at the end, Did we do everything we meant to? Read more
You mig
ht say the antithesis to the romance genre is suspense/thriller. You know, people getting killed versus people falling in love. What could be more polar than that?
I suggest they’re not as different as they may seem, which is why, as a romance writer, I make sure I read a few thrillers and suspense novels each year. They help me to remember how important pacing is, that plot matters, that getting the reader eagerly turning the page matters, that good dialogue is vital.
Character development often takes a back seat in thrillers and suspense novels because plot is king. This is usually the reverse in romance novels. But a really good thriller writer will find a way to develop their characters without bogging down their novel. And good romance writers figure out how to keep the plot interesting, how to pepper believable and heart thumping conflict throughout the story while maintaining character development. Read more
I confess.
I failed at my goal. In my last blog, I discussed how I had started a new habit of writing for 15 minutes every day. I did it faithfully for about four weeks and then I missed a day, then a second day. I felt miserable and reminded myself to restart but it didn’t happen. Another month went by and I did not write once. A failure. And it seemed like such a good idea!
I have long admired those people who tackle a huge project by taking small steps every day. It seems like such a sensible method to complete a big project – whether it is renovating a room, weeding a garden or writing a novel. But I fail at this method every time I try. Instead, I lurch from binge tackling of a project to long periods of stagnation until I pop into another binge round.