A couple of weeks ago I attended a reading and book signing by author Susanna Kearsley. She was promoting her new historical novel, A Desperate Fortune, which I enjoyed immensely. (Note: This is not a book review, only my thoughts on what makes Kearsley’s book work on all levels.) I find it fascinating to discover […]
emotions
Show Me the Feelings!
Okay, you’re writing a scene for your main character. He’s returning to his hometown – he hasn’t been back since he ran away at age sixteen. “Mason drove down Main Street. It looked the same as it had the day he left town. The druggist had painted the front […]
Time to Edit: Oh, the Joy!
My friend Emily Rattray Wenstrom recently wrote about her editing process. She described the first draft as the bones of her story, and later versions as being fleshed out and plumped up. I loved her description of discovering her characters and her setting anew as she began her first edit. That perfectly describes how I […]
Stop Writing
I recently read a post by Dr. Steven Farmer in which he talked about taking his niece to acting lessons. While he waited, his interest was piqued by a comment the instructor made to the children and teens in the class. “Stop acting.” Dr. Farmer understood what the man was telling the students. The man […]
Motivation Part 3: How do You Want to Feel?
This is the final installment in my “motivation” series. Here’s part one. And part two. Now that you’ve defined your life motivation, and discovered how that shaped the motivation for your career as a writer, how do you want to feel about that career? I mean, do you wish to bask in the accolades […]