Welcome to my World: Behind the Story
Where do writers get ideas? My answer: “Everywhere.” Story ideas come from our life experiences. From those experiences, we craft stories that are either realistic or fantastical. A news story about a murder could generate a realistic story such as Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood, based on the murders of a family in Kansas, orContinue reading “Welcome to my World: Behind the Story”
SETTINGS
One of the most wonderful things about reading is the ability of an author to place you in a setting that not only feels real, but enchanting. The place is welded into your mind to the point where you are essentially, physically there. Your senses have come alive as you see, hear, taste, and feelContinue reading “SETTINGS”
Practice through Short Stories
Using short stories, essays, and poetry to become a better writer.
Wind Power
Hello everyone! Hope you are all well!Happy Earth weekend! Spring is the perfect time to think about our own unique planet.I just realized recently after a National Geographic documentary that all the creatures that we know and care about, from Monarch butterflies to hippos, can only be found on Earth and nowhere else in theContinue reading “Wind Power”
Stuck, Un-Stuck
I came across this picture online and immediately thought: I should be writing. What does this picture have to do with writing you ask? Nothing at all, but it reminds me of my process. Listen, I’m not ashamed to admit it that when I’m writing I usually neglect other things that I need to beContinue reading “Stuck, Un-Stuck”
Procrastination: let me count the ways
The other day I made a commitment to write a blog post on procrastination. I did not, however, immediately pull up a blank Word document and write. No, I thought about it. Thinking isn’t procrastinating; it is letting ideas swirl and simmer in my head. I might play a computer game, but I tell myselfContinue reading “Procrastination: let me count the ways”
No, I Don’t Want to Talk About My Car’s Extended Warranty
How many times do you answer your phone to hear a robotic voice asking you to stay on the line to discuss your car’s extended warranty? Or how to reduce your debt? Or to get bogus healthcare benefits? Scamming the Scammers A few years ago, the calls came in at an annoyingly high frequency. MaybeContinue reading “No, I Don’t Want to Talk About My Car’s Extended Warranty”
Conscious Consumption
“Hey, let’s try that new Chinese place for dinner tonight,” you suggest to a friend. “We should check out the reviews first,” your friend replies. And so invariably, you consult online reviews of the establishment to decide whether you will, in fact, offer the restaurant your patronage. Negative reviews have a powerful impact on diningContinue reading “Conscious Consumption”
RED WORDS AND RABBIT HOLES
Currently, I write historical fiction. I offer you my approach for developing chapter stories for my fifteenth book. I initially create an outline for a book in 3-5 pages. I copy the appropriate story points and themes from the book outline to the chapter heading when I begin, and I paste those thoughts in redContinue reading “RED WORDS AND RABBIT HOLES”
How to choose a character’s name
Hello everyone! I hope you are all well.Today, I want to entertain you about a subject that is important in a novel but if often considered trivial.Have you ever read a novel in which the characters’ names where inappropriate or threw you out of the story every time? I’m sure most of you have experiencedContinue reading “How to choose a character’s name”
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