Category: discovery draft

  • NaNoWriMo on the Horizon …

    NaNoWriMo on the Horizon …

    A warning: I’m going to vent a little in the first half of this blog posting, but I’m offering up some NaNoWriMo advice in the second half. First, I want to mention something I’ve noticed about haters of NaNoWriMo. They just don’t get it. NaNoWriMo haters assume it’s about getting published. “Most NaNoWriMo participants never…

  • Why NaNoWriMo?

    Why NaNoWriMo?

    I have decided to take a month-long break from my work-in-progress (WIP) and rediscover the excitement of creating an all-new story. Yes, I am going to participate in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). In case you don’t know, November is NaNoWriMo. Click here if you are unfamiliar with National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). Ten years…

  • A Sneak Peek into How I Set Up My Scrivener for Writing Fiction

    A Sneak Peek into How I Set Up My Scrivener for Writing Fiction

    If you are a writer–either a veteran or an aspiring or somewhere in-between–you’ve probably heard other writers gush over the writing software named Scrivener. When I finally purchased it, I said to myself, “I should have started using Scrivener sooner.” Most fans of Scrivener agree. The best part of Scrivener is its versatility. You can…

  • Epiphanies in Writing, Part 1: Planning Your Novel

    Epiphanies in Writing, Part 1: Planning Your Novel

    Currently I am writing a series of short novels part of a series called CONSORTIUM. One epiphany I learned a long time ago was that no two writers use the same method of getting their story down on paper. And something else: A writer may not even use the same method two times in a…

  • The Furious Five Hundred

    The Furious Five Hundred

    It’s a busy week for me for several reasons, one of which my house is being remodeled and every room is in disarray. I have no place to sit in my own home. Despite that, I’ve been camping out at the coffee shop for the past few days and I’m getting work done.  I’m using…

  • Serendipity and the writing process

    Serendipity and the writing process

    I am astounded when, during the early stages of outlining and drafting a novel, two unrelated parts of my story suddenly fit together and make it stronger, more logical. It’s almost like, “Why didn’t I see that before?” View my Consortium SF Series at Amazon. My science fiction book OMNIORB is available through Amazon and…

  • What are the most important scenes in a novel?

    What are the most important scenes in a novel?

    To overcome feeling overwhelmed by finishing your novel, a writer might want to keep these writing principles in mind: She doesn’t have to write chronologically. She can write her most important scenes first and then fill in the blanks. Now, if she has planned your novel with some kind of outline, then these principles become even easier.…

  • The Final Quarter

    I am down to the last 25% of the current draft of my novel which I’m now calling Ziggurat Reach. Whether that is a working title or a final title, I don’t know. I know what is happening in the last part of my novel. I am building up to the story’s climax and all…

  • Books on writing I read in 2015

    Every year I try and read a couple of books on the writing craft. I know that’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but,  honestly, I love reading stuff on how to write fiction. Here is what I read in 2015: Planning a Novel, Script or Memoir by Hank Quense Quense offers practical tips on how…