The Joyful Tag for Writers!

Okay, so I’m doing something new today, and I am inventing a tag. 🙂 Sounds like fun! I was planning on continuing my post on POVs, but I thought it might be nice to split that up and stick this one in between. Okay, rule number one: Acknowledge who tagged you for this. Rule number two:

The POV Battle – and Choosing the Right One for Your Story

If you have been a writer and reader for any length of time, you’re probably aware of the major debate among authors regarding POVs. There are so many of them. Some work better for one story, some work better for one author. So let’s lay out the facts today. Because, really, there’s no right answer.

What I’ve Learned From a Year of Blogging

I have been managing this blog for just about a year. Happy birthday! Actually, I have learned a great deal in that time, and there are a few things I would have liked to have known in advance. I’m going to share some of these today. I LEARNED THE IMPORTANCE OF KEYWORDS AND TITLES So,

How to Overcome the Threat of Cliches in a few Easy Steps

Ah-ha! I know what you’re thinking. My blog post title was cliche. “A few easy steps”? Yes, I know that was cliche, because that’s exactly what we’re talking about today. First off, let’s just get this out of the way – it’s awful hard to do away with “cliche” in general, and there are times

When Villains Win – and the art of writing it.

Because villains do win. Now and again. And a crucial part of writing is to know when it’s time for the villain to win – if only for the sake of the plot, character development, etc. – and how to write that in a way that leaves the reader hopeful for tomorrow. I’ve read books in

How to Finish That First Draft

I thought it an appropriate post for today because that is where I’m at right now with a project that, until a month ago, was entirely unplanned. Yes, yes, details to follow on the wings of a book update. But not today. Because I want to finish the first draft first. And I’m writing this

How to Write on Crazy Deadlines (it’s not as hard as it might seem)

There’s something in all of us, I think, that resents a deadline. We steer clear wherever we can, or do something really smart like finish wwaayy before the actual deadline. But as writers, we are doomed to face a lot of deadlines. And there are a few tricks to mastering them so they’re not quite so daunting.

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and a Book Update

So, friends, let’s get back to blogging after a substantial break. Christmas can get busy, can’t it? How was your Christmas season? Show of hands – how many of you received either reader- or writer-oriented gifts under the tree? Like a good book? Or a new notebook? Or a stash of bookmarks just for you?

Is Your Story Made of Starlight Dust? (The long-awaited part 2)

Was it really a long-awaited part 2? I don’t know. You tell me. I know it was long-awaited for me because it has pretty much taken me since part 1 to discover the answer to the unanswered question I raised in that post – what is starlight dust and how does it fly from your

Writing Non-Fiction (and an exciting update)

So, yes, school has utterly annihilated my blogging schedule. Yep. *sheepish grin* I’m terribly sorry . . . but I have an exciting announcement at the end of this blog post that I believe we’ll all find fortuitous. 🙂 Anyway . . . let’s talk about writing, shall we? Okay, how many of you have ever read or