Category: writing

  • Writing Style Outcasts: Adjectives

    Writing Style Outcasts: Adjectives

    Not the cool kids at school. This is a series on the aspects of writing style that are bullied. But they serve a purpose. Yesterday, I talked about adverbs. Today, I talk about adjectives. Descriptors like adjectives and adverbs are kicked out the writing style kingdom like lepers. “Don’t use adverbs!” “Don’t use adjectives!” But…

  • Friday’s Findings

    Friday’s Findings

    Sometimes I find myself using the same gestures for my characters over and under and over again. I think I’m guilty of making them “furrow their eyebrows” a lot. While the gestures and body language suggestions from the first item in today’s list is not exhaustive, it can give you ideas for your own variety…

  • 15 Amazing Ways to Create a Book Title

    15 Amazing Ways to Create a Book Title

    I think I’ve changed the name of my WIP three times; however, I’m glad I did. Here is an infographic I found on creating book titles.

  • Friday’s Findings

    Friday’s Findings

    Semicolons. I think of them as the yellow on a traffic stoplight. But I admit it. I love using the semicolon. When I write a rough draft, I indulge my semicolon addiction, but when I self-edit, I have to rewrite most of the sentences where I use them. They are like spice; I use them…

  • Show Don’t Tell: Misunderstood But Important

    Show Don’t Tell: Misunderstood But Important

    Call me weird, but I find “Show Don’t Tell” articles interesting. The following is a recent post at Reddit.com about this writing concept in the Writing subreddit: This is one of the most misunderstood rules in all of prose fiction. It’s important to understand that every single sentence you write is simultaneously telling one thing…

  • Friday’s Findings

    Friday’s Findings

    While being at home this week, I took a Udemy.com course called How to Plan and Outline Novels (Using Scrivener). I loved the simplicity of how the instructor, novelist Sean Platt, broke down the novel writing process. And I got a lot of great ideas for using Scrivener. The course is only about two hours…

  • Friday's Findings

    Friday's Findings

    I always think of my first draft as a lump of clay I’ve been working on for only a few minutes. It’s wet and soggy and unpainted, but I know it’s unfinished and the best is yet to come. Why Your First Draft Isn’t Crap Stop Killing Your Creative Genius How a Career Can Reveal…

  • Author Interview: Carol Preflatish

    Author Interview: Carol Preflatish

    A few years ago, I decided to make an effort to meet more authors in my area. One of these authors is Carol Preflatish. We’ve bumped into each at events such as The Kentuckiana Book Fair and Imaginarium 2019. Carol has published several romantic suspense novels. Homecoming To Murder is her recently released murder mystery…

  • Friday’s Findings

    Friday’s Findings

    Why do you write? I just want to publish novels and entertain people. I know that sounds pretentious, but it’s true. I have not subscribed to making money by writing books. It happens to some writers, but I don’t have time to waste on pipedreams. The danger of chasing the “blockbuster novel” dream is not…