So you’ve written that rough draft. Now what? For one thing, it’s probably chock full of errors, plot holes, character inconsistencies and plenty of other grammatical problems. I’m sure if you begin to read through it you will see them, glaring out from the page like the misshapen and malformed creatures from aContinue reading “5 Ways to Force Yourself to Edit Your Novel”
Tag Archives: Writers Resources
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 littleContinue reading “When Life Happens, Change Your Plans”
The #NaNoWriMo Checklist
In just two weeks we will be heading into dark territory. The National Novel Writing Month will be upon us. How many of you wordsmiths plan on cranking out a novel that month? Well, you can include me in that mass of lemmings desiring to throw their minds into overdrive to write 50,000 words inContinue reading “The #NaNoWriMo Checklist”
Writing With Juxtaposed Tones
The past few nights, while working on my current WIP, I discovered that I was nearly subconsciously doing something with my prose that was at the same time fascinating as it was a personal best. I wrote using two juxtaposed tones. I will not post the chapter in question on this blog as I amContinue reading “Writing With Juxtaposed Tones”
Writing a Novel: When to Research
For This Broken Earth I spent at least 6 months researching everything from super viruses to Syrian end games. I interviewed a U.S. Army colonel, an astrophysicist, a biologist, police officers, a computer security specialist and several others in order to write a novel that was as believable as possible. Research is highly important to writingContinue reading “Writing a Novel: When to Research”
New Podcast Up: Writing Dialogue and Wearing Costumes
In this episode, Ryan and I discuss the ins and outs of dialogue and how to make your characters dialogue seem more realistic. What is it that makes great dialogue work and what are some pitfalls that all writers face? They also discuss their years of costuming and the funniest moments while wearing these elaborateContinue reading “New Podcast Up: Writing Dialogue and Wearing Costumes”
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 pickContinue reading “My Daughter’s Gift”
New Podcast Up: Where Have All the Good Writers Gone?
Ryan and I had a great time discussing the lackluster summer movie season and why most of the films to hit theaters this summer have been colossal duds. Could it be that writing has taken a back seat to possible blockbuster “sure things”? What if the “sure things” don’t fly? They can’t if they haveContinue reading “New Podcast Up: Where Have All the Good Writers Gone?”
Active Verbs: Words to Spice Up Any Prose
One of the biggest problems with amateur writing is the use of run of the mill verbiage. I have seen it time and again when students write fiction or fiction writers pay me to edit their work. How much better could a piece of prose be if we were to be more creative with somethingContinue reading “Active Verbs: Words to Spice Up Any Prose”
5 Things to Do When You’ve Written a Stinker
If you are a regular reader of my blog you know that writing is indeed hard work. It takes a lot of time and effort and like anything that is done well it is sometimes difficult to make it work. I think of that story about Thomas Edison who failed over 100 times to makeContinue reading “5 Things to Do When You’ve Written a Stinker”
Writing Is Hard Work 