I like planning. I like being organized. I like being methodical, chronological, practical, predictable. It’s not in my DNA to wander the literary landscape without a map, without a plan. And yet this is exactly where I find myself after recently having completed my 13th novel (due for publication this December by Bella Books).
I like a good surprised twist in a book. I love it when a book puts in a major twist that is both believable but that I did not see coming. It’s a tricky balance to manage well. Usually I can spot a plot twister before the wind even gets brisk; mostly because they are set out as if they are slowly spewing volcano.
The smoke is obvious, the billowing soot a give way, so I am not surprised when the volcano “suddenly” spits out the “surprise”.
I am looking for the kind of twist that makes a reader exclaim out loud while reading. A moment that compels a reader to tell the stranger sitting next to them, “do you know what just happened!” It’s the whoa – everyone is a ghost – kind of surprise.
I recently came across some simple but impactful screenwriting tips. The advice said every scene should be one of three things: a fight, a seduction or a negotiation.
Sound a little too simple? Maybe. But when you think about it, especially when it comes to films or television dramas, there’s a lot of truth to it. Think about your favourite big and small screen scenes. One of my favourite films is “When Harry Met Sally”. Almost every scene between Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan is either a fight, a seduction or a negotiation (or all three at once). And man, does that make for a lot of tension and excitement.
Today is the last day of the year and we shouldn’t spend too much time crying about all the failed resolutions we didn’t follow through with over the past 364 days. Tonight at midnight will mark the moment of a fresh opportunity. We will have a clean slate for 2019. So, what can we do to make our new year as weird and wonderful as the unique souls that live within us?
I made a list of achievable goals specifically for writers ranging from quite simple to complicated tasks. You decide. I’m challenging you to pick one or two things off this list to push yourselves into becoming a happier creative person.
Tonight, the film “A Christmas Carol” will be viewed by millions (including me! )as part of their holiday traditions.
But have you actually read the book the film is based on? Read more
It’s the journey, not the destination—I keep reminding myself. And it’s a long journey, or at least I’m making it one. It was about a year ago that I decided to re-write the novel that I’d already written seven times. I was going back to scratch. I’d hoped it would take me three months, but now I’m hoping I’ll be done before the end of this year.
In that year, I got wrapped up in a bit too much volunteer work, over-extending myself. Of course, the writing got squeezed, but I still wrote something almost every day, just not always my novel. That’s been sporadic, at best. (I’ve been using Pacemaker so I now have a visual graph of my bad writing habits.) Read more
The title of this blog was originally, ‘Deadlines be Dammed’, which sounds brash, but that isn’t what I needed to write.
I came across a Writer’s Digest course being offered by Paula Munier, called the Plot Perfect Bootcamp and something in the title called out to me.
Not to mention, I thoroughly enjoy sitting in a lecture room while Paula captivates her audience with her smile, her love of dogs and her bold encouragment to do better.
So, I signed up.
In Ian Hamilton’s crime series, Ava Lee is always eating interesting and descriptive food. In the book, The Wild Beasts of Wuhan, Ava Lee orders “sautéed languoustines with crab tortellini in a shellfish bisque as a starter, and pan-fried black bream with truffle mashed potatoes as her main.”
Later in the same book, Ava orders without hesitation: foie gras and black sea bass with oyster mushrooms.
What are languoustines?
I had to look it up: it’s also called “Norway Lobster”, a luxury seafood prized for its sweet meat. They’re crazy expensive because of their rarity. Bream is a fish. Ava Lee adores expensive luxury food. It tells the reader about her income and social status. It also makes me hungry.
Being specific about the food your characters are eating can bring richness and depth to your writing. It can help establish the setting, the historical period, and the culture of your characters. But it can do more.
Here is my nine course meal of how food can add flavour and spice to your novel: