Tweet I started the week with the story of my lonely, zombie Christmas. Some of you might have guessed where the series was going based on comments I’ve made before — that writing is a really lonely profession. More of you might have figured it out by looking at the series title, “On Collaborative Writing.” […]
Sometimes, a writer’s just gotta get clean. Sometimes, fellow writers, what we need is a shower.
Tweet I’ve made no secret around here of my struggles with social anxiety. I’ve made some major strides in the last year, but I’ve still got some work to do. And, even once that’s done, I’ll always be an introvert. That means I have trouble in highly social situations. Even when they’re fun, and packed […]
Tweet Yesterday I talked to you about your book’s big, bad rewrite. I gave you one example of how it might go, and then started into a bit of a pep talk. Now it’s time for me to tell you about application, to tell you how to do your rewrite. That’s a tricky task. I […]
Tweet At last we’ve come to the rewrite. The big one. The end of the line. If you’ve really been thinking it through, you might have a question about the way I’ve arranged things. It might seem strange that I had you fix sentences before I let you go in and move paragraphs around (inevitably […]
Tweet For nearly a year now, Trish has been participating in a monthly book club with our friend Becca and several other ladies I don’t happen to be familiar with. She has really enjoyed it, as much for the opportunity to get out on her own and hang out with grown-ups at least once a […]
Tweet So. We’re reworking your novel. What exactly does that entail? It entails voice and style. It entails characterization and foreshadowing. It entails hooks and cliffhangers, suspense and resolution. This is the point in the story where you put in all the beautiful little things that will go unnoticed by your reader even as they […]
Tweet I started this week with a story about my creativity in the kitchen. It all really boils down to finding a prepackaged dish I really like, and adding some chili powder. Usually black pepper, too, but that didn’t make it into Tuesday’s story. It’s a solid metaphor for what we’re doing with our novels, […]
I’m not afraid of the Dark. But this past Sunday, I got to a point in the story where I knew the Dark Stuff was coming. I looked at my computer screen, watched the cursor blink at me a few times, and said aloud, “I don’t want to write this.” I closed the file and walked away. I was in dire need of rescue…
Tweet I like to cook. Sometimes. To a limited extent. Well…no, not really. Let me start over. I’m a notoriously picky eater, so for the most part I don’t love to eat what I know objectively to be delicious foods. I have a limited repertoire of things I like, and I like them prepared my […]
