Writing a “good” bad guy isn’t easy, but it’s one of the most important parts of writing genre fiction. Now I understand that not every novel will have a primary bad guy, and the antagonist isn’t required to be a character in the book. But if a villain isn’t the primary antagonist, it can in […]
Three sobering facts about being a writer
A while back I had a post with 7 writing tips for new writers. These were some practical tips on the business of writing and just getting started as a writer. It’s still good advice and worth a look if you haven’t read that post yet. But there is one big concept missing from that […]
Don’t be afraid to try something new
I wrote a book in one sitting last night. No, I’m not any kind of superhero and I’m certainly not a speed writer (or speed reader for that matter.) But I did it. But here’s the secret: The “book” in question was less than one thousand words long. In fact, at 950 word it’s still […]
When ghosts were real and Nessie still swam in the Loch
For as long as I can remember, I’ve been drawn to stuff that terrifies me, especially if it’s from the area of the unexplained, paranormal, or supernatural. I fondly remember the second grade when a classmate snuck a book from the high school section of our school’s library that retold all sorts of “true” ghost […]
Is Your Young Adult Fiction too “Young Adult-ie”?
(Note: This is a reprint of a post I wrote for my old blog a few years back. I thought it would be worth sharing, as most of it is still relevant, and it shows some of the stuff that went through my head when I was working on earlier drafts of my novel.) I […]
Writing-related things that can get in the way of your writing
This post is going to be a little difficult for me two write, as it could very well be titled “How I spend my day doing things when I should be writing.” Why is that? Well, mostly because I’ve taken on a whole bunch of writing-related things that are not, in fact, writing. And yes, […]
Does where you write affect how you write?
Over the years as our family grew, my “writing room” stayed mostly constant, until it eventually became a bedroom for kiddie # 3 and I moved my writing desk to the basement. That didn’t last too long since the basement ended up becoming our bedroom. Now my “writing office” is usually the kitchen table (although […]
3 Reasons for Writer’s Block
The dreaded feeling of writer’s block can be lurking around every corner, ready to pounce when the poor, unsuspecting writer least expects it. Or so that’s what we’re lead to believe. In reality, writer’s block is no big deal. It’s not even a real problem. What writer’s block actually is is a symptom of a […]
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