I didn’t want a dog.I’ve never really liked them much, my dislike only intensifying through the years. So when my husband announced that he wanted a puppy, my heart sank to the pit of my stomach.We’d had a puppy, shortly after moving into our cozy 3-bedroom starter home. To say… Read the rest...
There are some clichés that I don’t mind in my fiction. Depending on the writer, sometimes they can carry it off without it being detrimental to the story or their integrity as a writer. After encountering this one in each of the three books I’ve picked up in the past… Read the rest...
I grew up in a family of gifted musicians.I remember my mother’s delight when we obtained a lovely old upright piano, the ivory plates missing from some of the keys. It didn’t matter, it didn’t keep her from drawing the most beautiful music from it.My father has always been a… Read the rest...
The other day, a friend asked me a very specific question about writing, and I’ve been turning it over in my head since then.How do you stop writing?How do you keep your story from dragging on and on?
The ending is a vital part to any story, and really, this… Read the rest...
I meant to finish this a lot sooner, but some things came up and for a little while, blogging was the last thing on my mind. Don’t worry, though – I’m not leaving you hanging. For anyone who was waiting, here’s the rest of the commentary on my influence map.… Read the rest...
For a while, influence maps were a popular trend among artists on deviantART. It spread outward and I saw them on other art sites, from time to time, but I never made one. Sure, I draw – I’m not terrible at it, either, though I’m far from being great. But… Read the rest...
Editing is the most important step of finishing a book. Anyone who disagrees is fooling themselves. Even the best books have an editor, whether or not they’re listed in the credits page. Very few authors are able to edit their own work successfully, and it makes sense that we wouldn’t.… Read the rest...