Charlotte Rains Dixon

On The Importance of Confidence in Yourself–and Your Writing

On my writing retreat last weekend, I reread my novel. Yeah, that’s right. The one I told everyone how terrible it was. How it needed major surgery. How it had plot holes so big you could drive a truck through them. How the characters were undeveloped. In re-reading it I found that all of the […]

Charlotte Rains Dixon 9 years ago

Five Things on Friday

Five on Friday: Back From Retreat

What I did this week: I just got back from a three-day writing retreat in Astoria, Oregon. Oh boy oh boy was it ever wonderful to have three days to focus on writing fiction. I also remembered how great it is to enjoy the camaraderie of other writers. At night we drank wine and talked […]

Charlotte Rains Dixon 9 years ago

Organization

The Space You Work In

Where do you do your writing? Do you have a dedicated space for it, or are you a nomad, roaming from table to couch to bed to desk? I tend to be very settled in my writing habits, i.e., I sit at the same space every day and work at my computer. Problem is, I’m […]

Charlotte Rains Dixon 9 years ago03/13/2017

Five Things on Friday

Five on Friday: Daylight Savings Time This Weekend

What I’m happy about: Daylight savings time coming this weekend. If daylight savings time is here, spring can’t be far, right? Can’t come soon enough around here. We’ve had rainy day after rainy day after rainy day. And that’s after so man snow and ice storms I can’t even count them. Even I, the original […]

Charlotte Rains Dixon 9 years ago

Character

Writing Scenes to Unearth Character

As many of you know, I’m a fan of all kinds of novel prep, including creating character dossiers to allow me to learn more about my characters. I use them to keep a record of the external stuff (really helps when you need to remember someone’s eye color mid-way through a book) and to start […]

Charlotte Rains Dixon 9 years ago

Five Things on Friday

Five on Friday, It’s March!

What I’m Reading: The Mapping of Love and Death, one of many novels in the Maisie Dobbs historical mystery series by Jacqueline Winspear. I love this book. It’s my kind of mystery–one where the sleuth’s story is almost as important as the mystery she is solving. I’m planning to go back and start at the […]

Charlotte Rains Dixon 9 years ago

Procrastination

Top Ten Ways to Procrastinate on Your Writing

Honestly now, isn’t this a skill you need to learn? Of course it is! Every writer in the world needs to know how to procrastinate. I submit that it is one of the most vital skills you need to master before you can call yourself a writer. And it just so happens that I am […]

Charlotte Rains Dixon 9 years ago

Five Things on Friday

Five on Friday: Almost Spring. Right? Am I Right?

What I’m Reading: The Couple Next Door, by Shari Lapena, a book I picked up on a whim from the “Lucky Day” shelf at the library. I started reading is Saturday evening after teaching all day, read after two small boys I babysat that night went to sleep, read with breakfast Sunday morning, and finished […]

Charlotte Rains Dixon 9 years ago

Uncategorized Writer's Block

Blocked? Try This to Get Your Writing Going Again

Before we get started, I have a guest post today over at the wonderful Samara King’s blog. It is called Born to Be Bad, and it is about the importance of wielding your creative power. Go read it! Okay, so I promised you a tip for when you are blocked. This is so ridiculously simple that […]

Charlotte Rains Dixon 9 years ago02/22/2017

Five Things on Friday

Five on Friday: It’s Still February

In some ways, the beginning of the year feels like it was an eon ago, yet, in others, it feels like this winter has been a long slog. Ah, but there are always things to distract. Such as: What I’m Reading. My library has a “Lucky Day” shelf, full of currently popular books. You can […]

Charlotte Rains Dixon 9 years ago

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