I’m cautiously dipping my toe back in to bring you these Friday compendiums. I started these last year and liked doing them a lot, but then I wandered away. As I do. Probably because blogging has felt wonky and unpredictable to me over the last couple of years. But, like so many others, I am feeling […]
Ah, the excitement of beginning a new writing project. The energy! The enthusiasm! The high hopes! This, you think, is going to be the best novel yet, the best essay, the best short story, the best article. You whip open your computer, open a new file, place you hands on the keyboard and….sit staring at […]
I just finished reading a book that purports to share the secrets of writing a bestselling novel, and I found it fascinating. The BestSeller Code: Anatomy of the Blockbuster Novel is by Jodie Archer and Matthew L. Jockers, and what it uses is text mining to uncover the shared elements of bestsellers. As I understand […]
Nanowrimo (National Novel Writing Month) starts next Tuesday, November 1st. Are you ready? I did it a few years ago, resulting in an early draft of my novel, Emma Jean’s Bad Behavior. And I’m planning to do it again this year to knock out a draft of a romance novel I have in mind. I […]
I’ve been working hard getting clients set for my absence while I’m in France, and I’ve found myself with a bit of time this week. And so I’ve been planning. If there’s one thing I love to do in this life, it is to plan. Give me a calendar or a planner or a workbook […]
(My inspiration for this post comes from a list penned by Anne Wayman.) What’s on your desk? My computer, a small Dell laptop A cat (just about always) A yellow legal pad with notes on it Two books about writing The little journal in which I keep my to-do lists and make […]
No snappy titles today, but I’ve got lots of great writing links for you. So let’s get right to it. Are you trying to ride the news cycle with your current novel? Might not be the best idea. I gotta admit, sometimes I wonder about this: is writing fiction a worthy endeavor? What is your […]
It appears that Christmas is kicking my ass. Appears that way, because it feels like I’ve been crazy busy, so busy that I’ve not collected my usual round-up of links. But I’m not running around shopping like crazy because I refuse to spend time in malls and do most of it online. And I gave […]
It's another Five Things on Friday post. Admit it, you woke up this morning just dying to hop on over here and read the latest one. Well, here it is. What I'm Reading: Still working on a couple of books from last week, including Leaving Time. Don't tell them, but its due today at the […]
I'm happy to share an interview with my friend, Kayla Dawn Thomas, today. Actually, Kayla and I have only met through social media (primarily Twitter and Instagram), but that is about to change. Because this summer, she and her family are visiting Portland. And on July 23rd, the two of us will be doing a […]
