Warring Villains as Plot Device

Unlike many Americans, I’m watching NBC’s Timeless. I say this because it has been announced that the show will not be renewed for a second season. But, folks, you need to watch it.  It’s really good. If you do not watch the show, and want to watch it, the following contains spoilers but it taught me

Allow Your Protagonist to Fail

I have regular meetings with a friend who is probably one of the best people to talk to concerning story.  I recommend that every writer have a few people in their lives that they can talk to about writing. My partner in writing crime is Jack Johnson, the artist who designed the cover of my

The SCAMPER Method: A Creativity Crisis Breaker

Not everyone wakes up in the middle of the night to stumble in the dark, find a notepad or their phone’s notes app to write down a fresh idea for a novel. Most people struggle with creativity. As a matter of fact in an article in Newsweek dated July 2010, authors Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman found

5 Fears Writers Must Overcome

Over the years I have become more and more determined in my quest for greater distribution of my work, and along that journey I have had to not just overcome but put to rest many fears that I had about being an independent novelist.  I have three novels under my belt at present, and am

Short Story Writing Challenge #amwriting

I’ve been writing novels now since 2007.  I’ve written three novels and one self-help book. Frankly, I’m a little burned out. I decided that during the month of July I would try to write one short story every three days.  By the time I was done, I’d have 10 solid short stories to put into