When life gets messy. Hmm, if ever there was a time for that, we’re certainly living it now. I wrote about this several years ago, and it seems timely to bring it back for a second look. Back then, one of my friends posted an interesting question: “How do you guys keep writing…
The other day I got a note from a writer friend saying how much they appreciated how I supported my fellow authors. In fact, I host a podcast that’s centered around that very idea. Hear Us Roar, a program sponsored by the Women’s Fiction Writer’s Association, gives a showcase to its members when they publish…
Question: Why enhance your fictional personalities with feelings, viewpoints or oddities? Part of my learning curve in attempting several manuscripts has been an emotional business to say the least, not only for my characters but for myself. On one hand, I give characters too many emotions—they’re a mess. On the other hand, usually my left,…
Real Writers Top 10 I’ve promoted them before and I’ll likely do it again, but the Scriptnotes Podcast (which focuses on screenwriting) is terrific stuff for regular old fiction writers, too. John August and Craig Mazin are writers first and screenwriters second. A wealth of insight. They make it easy to skip the industry stuff,…
After I finish a book I always have two files. One is the final manuscript I will submit. The other is a mishmash of scenes and pieces of scenes that never made it into the book. I usually start off saving this detritus at the end of the file. By the time I’m three-quarters of…