One of the biggest excuses I hear from people who say they want to write is that they’re afraid their words aren’t unique enough, brilliant enough, or interesting enough for anyone to read. Their fear of failure keeps them from getting started. Then they spend their lives mourning the loss of a dream. Each […]
imagination
When the Story Runs Wild
Have you ever had one of the days where the story and your characters want to journey anywhere except where you planned to take them? Well, that’s the way it’s going for me today. Like wrestling with a greased pig. Every time I think I have all those thrashing little hooves pinned down, they slip […]
Your Sacred Space for Writing
Do you have a special place where you write? Do you go there because it provides quiet in which you can hear what’s going on in your mind? Or does it provide background noise that allows you to ignore everything around you and fall into the Zen space of your imagination? Maybe you curl up […]
Where in the World Are Your Characters? Setting the Scene
I’ve read and edited at least a dozen stories lately in which the author fails to reveal where the story takes place. Each of the stories could have been happening anywhere, given the lack of specific detail. It sounds unimportant. However, knowing where a story takes place creates a deeper understanding of the character’s actions, […]