10 of the Worst Cliches in Fiction Writing

I’m a reader because all good writers are readers.  Mostly, however, I read because I love to read.  I am in many ways like Henry Bemis in “Time Enough At Last”, adapted from a Lyne Venable short story which chronicles the sad life of a chronic reader.  I’m so glad I have a Kindle Paperwhite, because

5 Ways To Focus On Writing When You Get Off Track

The holidays were rough for writing, at least as far as my personal goals were concerned.  However, even though I had great family time with relatives and watched my children dig into their Christmas gifts un-distracted, I did manage to edit through my new WIP a couple of times. But that’s 53,000+ words, Roger.  How

When Life Happens, Change Your Plans

I had big plans for the month of November.  I was going to finish up the current WIP rough draft and then I was going to crank out a 50,000 word satirical novel for the NaNoWriMo. Well…life had other plans. For the past week our water well has been cycling on and off a little

When Do You Hit Your Stride?

Writing a novel like writing anything is hard work.  It takes determination, skill and careful planning to get a novel off the ground.  It is definitely not like writing a short story or a poem because of the sheer amount of words necessary, the characterization, the subplots and all of the other bells and whistles

The Core: What Drives a Novel?

I’m currently smack dab in the middle of my current WIP, and it usually takes this long to figure out exactly what the theme of the book might be.  I know.  I should have a theme when I begin, but as I have found out, the purpose behind every novel shifts and changes as it

The Day Job

School has been in session for a week and a half now and I must admit I am somewhat overwhelmed at times.  I have decided to start out the year teaching 11th graders a hard and fast course in grammar. The first week was nearly a wash in that we had two days of orientation,

My Daughter’s Gift

Last night I lay in bed with laptop open, writing away at Come Apart, my newest WIP.  Due to school starting up, the self-imposed renovation of my classroom, the induction of several new alternative education students into my program and a myriad of other things I have been neglecting it. It is always difficult to pick

Tolkien on Allegory

For years we have heard the story that J.R.R. Tolkien, creator of Middle Earth, never intended for any of his books to be allegory at all even though the Christian community rallies around him as a writer of Christian fiction.  It is true that we can see many images of Christ in the characters of

Writing Exercises

It’s Friday, but that doesn’t mean you get to lie down on the job!  If you are a writer, you need to use every ounce of writing muscle you have throughout the week at least (and if you just can’t stand it, then write on weekends). But what if your WIP is fizzling out and

Research: All Good Writers Do It

This last weekend Baz Luhrmann’s film The Great Gatsby premiered in American theaters.  I haven’t had a chance to get to the theater to see it, but I will probably do that soon.  School is winding down and soon I will have the summer to write, do editing projects, and spend time with my family doing