For weeks, a friend of mine has been stressing about her deadline for her next book. She mentioned that she felt she needed to finish the first draft by the end of the year to make certain she could turn the book before it’s due on July 1st. I was startled. At most, it takes…
When an idea for a book first comes to me, I generally have a fairly good idea of who my characters are and what their conflicts and challenges are going to be. But I don’t always know their names. Occasionally, they arrive with a name that instantly fits them. More often I have to give…
Spooky Season is officially upon us. I read a lot of horror and thrillers but especially around this time of year, without feeling the need to balance the dark with an occasional romcom. I’m intrigued by the mysterious and supernatural elements of course, yet perhaps the most compelling ingredient of these genres for me is…
Every editor and writing instructor will tell you how important the beginning of a book is. It sets the stage, draws the reader in, and likely influences whether the reader will buy (and read) the book at all. Lately I’ve been thinking about the importance of endings. My thoughts were drawn there partly because I’m…
A friend of mine recently told me she has started writing in a whole new genre. It definitely wasn’t a career change I would have expected. Her previous books have been long, complex stories written in an elegant, almost literary style. Now she has decided to write in a genre that is much lighter and…