Is Twitter: A flippant smarmy cesspool? Source of endless inspiration? Giant time suck? All of the above? I would never recommend doing anything that doesn’t suit your style or float your boat, but I need my daily (um, er, hourly) Twitter fix. There are 1.5 zillion writing and writing-related accounts on Twitter, but I’m here…
Tag: writing
“Action, Mark!”
I have a walkie-talkie by the gearshift in my VW Passat. I hear the command: “Roll sound.” And the reply: “Rolling sound.” More whispering—all the directions are being given inside the café a half-block away, where the scene is being filmed. “Roll Camera” in a quiet whisper. Wait, wait … An assistant director stands outside…
I Need An Office
I’ve been in the middle of a kitchen/living room remodel for eight months now. Yes, eight. I can’t fire my contractor, because it’s my husband and myself. Which means it’s weekend and evening work, and only when there isn’t some pressing issue that supersedes our need. There have been times when it’s been a bit…
Writing is writing is writing… or is it?
A few years ago I was reviewing an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) of a thriller novel. At one point, the lead character met someone in a bar and ordered a whiskey. Three pages later, he finished his beer. I stopped, turned back three pages, and read through them again. Nope, he didn’t order anything else….
Saving My Darlings
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…