Is It Really Writer’s Block, Or Something Else? by Carol Malone
My friends and associates will always start a conversation with me something like this, “So how’s your writing coming?” or my fav, “When are you gonna publish your next book?”
Tagged: writer
Your Writing Exercise… is to Exercise! Move Your Body, Move Your Writing by Kristen Caven
You don’t get anything done as a writer without having some sort of writing routine. An exercise routine can help you write better because when you put your body to work, your brain gets a re-boost as well.
One Writer’s Journey from The Beginning A Step-by-Step Beginner Writers Guide – Part 3 How to Write Your Novel Without Having a Background in Writing by Raina Schell
Here’s where we talk about plotters and pantsers. If you don’t know the definitions – a plotter is a writer who outlines their book before beginning to write it while a pantser writes from “the seat of their pants” with no outline. Kind of like writing from the stream of consciousness. I don’t think a survey has been taken but from what I’ve seen, most writers are plotters. Yet there are many famous pantsers too.
A Year To Publication: Finding An Agent. Why I Have an Agent by Jennifer Snow
In today’s publishing market, deciding whether or not you need or want an agent can be a challenging decision to make. With self-publishing keeping all of the control in the author’s hands and smaller digital-only presses accepting submissions directly from the author, it can sometimes seem like an unnecessary step. Depending on your career goals, it may be. However, if you choose to follow the traditional publishing route, a good agent can be your biggest ally.
A “Flush” of Inspiration by Nevada McPherson
How’s the fall writing coming along? With a chill in the air you might be inspired to try something new or revamp past ways of working. Did you ever consider stepping outside your chosen genre as a way to refresh yourself creatively? I was offered the opportunity to do just that recently and I learned a lot and enjoyed it very much!
Getting Started by Annmarie Miles
I had the privilege of leading a workshop for a group of writers last weekend. My theme was ‘The Writer’s Voice’. Not so much finding your voice, important as that is, more so having the confidence to let your voice be heard.
Fiction Physics (remember, the F in Physics is for fun!) by Catharine Bramkamp
I work with an engineer on the show – someone devoted to reality as much as he’s devoted to fantasy. Interestingly my son is a Geo-Physicist and is equally passionate about fantasy and science fiction. Which should be a lesson to writers: even brilliant people read to be transported to far away lands. Remember that you are writing for brilliant readers, some even more brilliant than you.
Find Your Fear and Strengthen Your Story by Wyatt G. Bessing
As Halloween nears, I consider the origins of the holiday. Many scholars believe the idea of wearing masks originated in the fear of lost souls roaming the earth this time of year, when the veil between living and dead thins and the world grows darker. The masks allowed revelers to imitate or hide from their fearful foes.
One Writer’s Journey from The Beginning A Step-by-Step Beginner Writers Guide – Part 2 How to Write Your Novel Without Having a Background in Writing by Raina Schell
I’m writing this guide as my journey. I am now a third of the way through my 4th book in two years, and have just started my 5th. When I was thinking about it I though it would have been great to have a little step-by-step guide. A guide of someone else’s process, someone else who knew absolutely nothing… like me.
He Said, She Glared: The Battle of Action vs. Dialogue Tags by Jami Gray
Ahhh, the joys of tags. These are those pesky things writers tack after a dialogue run. They tell the reader who’s talking or what they’re doing, or sometimes they do both. These innocuous critters have stirred up quite the debate in the writing community. I’m sure you’ve heard them, whispering in the corners of the coffee shop or library:
Writers, Balancing Act: Learning vs. Doing, by Carol Malone
I’ve been stuck in my writing of late and I started wondering about my goals. Though I want to be a bestselling author and made every plan and goal in my mind to do so, something is holding me back. Maybe my goal isn’t big enough. Or maybe, something in my thinking went haywire and I started believing that I needed to read or study every word on the subject of writing before I could write another word.
A Writer’s Shame by Annmarie Miles
Have you ever felt it? The burning shame of knowing that you haven’t blogged in ages. When you look in your bag and your notebook is staring at you, all wounded and bereft because you haven’t opened it in a while. You WIP’s protagonist, who you once knew better than you know yourself, is now a distant stranger. You watch wistfully, and with more than a smidgeon of envy, the Facebook posts of writers who are blogging, editing and publishing like the wind. If you have felt such things, then you know what it is to feel it. The shame of the writer, who is not writing.
How to Be Funny Without Hurting Yourself by Catharine Bramkamp
When you try really, really hard to be funny, it inevitably won’t work. Like when my mother tells a joke. She always forgets some critical piece in the set up that, if forgotten, renders the punch line unintelligible. Which, as she backtracks and says, Oh, I forgot to tell you about the bath tub, is funny, but not the way she intended.
A Year to Publication Column: Writing a Holiday Romance by Jennifer Snow
Beautifully crafted holiday romance stories have always been my favourite novels to read: not only during the holiday season, but all year round. I’ve discovered that I’m not alone. Readers worldwide enjoy ‘love under the mistletoe’ stories that evoke sincere emotions and reflect family, heart and home. As writers, we play a part in enhancing the holidays for our readers by taking elements that may not be as magical in real life and making them sparkle on the pages.
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