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Trouble with Stories
This post contains what some might consider a very small spoiler for my story in progress, Time Gone By. I’ve been publishing free fiction on this site since last April, and I currently have five pieces in progress. The problem is, I can’t seem to make anything happen in any of them, which is why…
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Self-Doubt – Haiku
Who am I to write, Stories that only a real, Writer should dare to.
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Writing Science Fiction – Revisited
There’s much more to sci-fi than science. On this day last year, I wrote a post about writing sci-fi. Rather than reposting it, I’m going to rewrite it. Science is important, but it’s not everything. Chances are, your characters don’t live and breathe science on a daily basis. Even the ones that do will still…
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Haiku – July 3
Write the story now, While it’s fresh in mind and heart, Or leave to simmer.
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What could there be to writing more than writing itself? Inspiratioin, perspiration, and beyond.
The answer is that there’s plenty. Writing is like a puzzle. All the pieces are mixed up in the box, and a finished puzzle (published book) seems a thousand miles away. Actually writing, either by pen or by keyboard, will get you only about a quarter of the way assembled and ready to go. Another…
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Update on my Writing
I haven’t posted about my plans for books lately. I’m still working on the illustrations for “Our Place: Monica and Brad Start School.” I hate the idea of not blogging every day, but I’m starting to think I might need to change my schedule in order to have enough energy to revise my next book…
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Writing Fiction Is – Haiku
Writing fiction is, Having empathy with those, Who do not exist.
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Writing Advice: consider point of view
Who tells the story? Point of view (POV) is an important topic when you start to write a piece of fiction. In Lockdown, I tell Billy’s story in the first person. I’m curled up comfortably inside his head, feeling what he feels, hearing what he hears, and seeing what he sees. I can’t experience any…
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A Word about Word Count in Fiction
I seem to be obsessed with word count. I don’t mean that I worry about my stories having specific word counts, but I keep wondering how many words long a story is. “How many words?” is the first question I have when people talk about their writing. Many years ago, when I first started trying…
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The Writing Process: When you need an idea but
When you need an idea, but there don’t seem to be any in your head. This happens to me fairly often. I wouldn’t say I get Writer’s Block, but sometimes I just don’t have any ideas for a blog post. This mostly happens with nonfiction topics. When this occurs, I often just start typing. For…
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A Letter to Letters
Dear Letters, It’s writing Wednesday, and I used to write you on Wednesdays every week. I tried to be philosophical, funny, factual, or just plain foolish. Do you think I should bring you back as a regular feature? You know, maybe between writing advice posts? Oh, my phone’s ringing. “Hello, this is Hyacinth, who’s calling?”…
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Writing Advice: dealing with too many ideas
As a Writer, I often find myself in a situation many people might be surprised to hear me complain about: having too many ideas. How can a Writer have too many ideas? Okay, maybe not too many, but too many to write all at once. When I wrote Wounded Bride, I had to deal with…
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5 Reasons to Start Writing Right Now
1. Writing is a fun and safe activity during COVID-19. Even if your children don’t read yet, they can dictate a story and you can write it down for them. 2. If you have a story in mind but are afraid of it, don’t be. Put it to paper or screen. Make those memories now…
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The Writing Process: Building a Relationship with Your Story
“Your love is like a shadow on me all of the time.” – Bonnie Tyler, Total Eclipse of the Heart The first part of writing a novel (or short story) is like falling in love. There’s passion. There’s fun. There’s discovery. No, you don’t have to be writing romance, but of course, that works, too!…