Page 97 — reader agony. Page 98?
Good morning.
One of your (many) readers has just had their emotions shredded, little by little, chunk by chunk, as you pushed, dragged, bullied them through hell. They are drained, shaken.
End of chapter and they turn the page, overrun by whatever emotion you have decided to inflict and build to flashpoint. What have you prepared for readers as they continue into the journey?
Page 98. On page 98, the players know nothing of …
Writers — you must do this
But, writers must do so many things. Don’t they? What is it that is so important? Put this one right near the top of your list, or not. Up to you.
Think about your current, next, first, book/s. Ask yourself why you are writing it/them.
You may be in the middle of a vast series such as ‘Game of Thrones’, ‘Harry Potter’ or ‘The Millennium Trilogy’. You may even be stepping over the threshold of a new world, tiptoeing cautiously into the shallows of the unchartered ocean that will become your nemesis while you plot its rage, before publishing its fraught tale.
Your answer to the ‘why’ will reveal many things. Importantly, how key is finishing the work to your future or current …
Collectibles that add heat to your writing
As kids we collected all manner of bits and pieces. Some were tossed out by disapproving seniors. As a writer, I have started collecting firelighters for my stories. Firelighters? Yes, small bits of kindling that one often passes by along the less trodden paths that writers walk, fly, skip, roll …
If I wander past a word or phrase that sparks my brain, I grab it and file it away. Photos give me endless avenues for describing scenes and emotions …
My novel is such a mess. Arrgh
Good morning. Have you ever found yourself saying/screaming this? Let these few hours of mayhem be a warning to all those working on their next, eagerly anticipated, piece. If you have not yet reached that dreamy goal of becoming a full-time writer, this applies even more to you. Why? Read on.
Most of us supplement the pittance trickling through from royalties with the infamous nine-to-five timeslot of billions. We must remain on track if we are to raise our status to that of the near deity that is the full-time writer who …
Writers in the headlights
Good morning. In a writing world that is swamped with information, we tend to ignore some clear early warning signals. I did just that, this week.
The week was actually moving along nicely. I had spent a good deal of time messing around with my website (hope you notice some improvements — let me know if you have any feedback) and was eager to start working on building up a list of writing friends. As usual there was Google/Bing/Firefox/… with their near-infinite solutions to my problem.
People at the local writing group were aghast ..
Writers — find a way to do this
Good morning.
Oh no, I did it again. You would think that, by now, I would know better. A super scene for my current novel slid into my daydreaming as I walked along the beach, interrupting the serenity. It persisted and developed for a minute or two while my enthusiasm for the day assured me I would recall it later as I sit feverishly typing until keys almost melted. I know what you are thinking, but all was well. My scene was firmly embedded, catalogued for ..
Writing a novel is easier than it seems
Good morning.
New to writing? Yes? Great. Because even if you have not yet written your first word, your story has already begun to emerge. You may have been thinking about it for years — yearning to lay it out in chapters of a novel. Many dream just that, and never begin, and never find out if that story was worthy of an audience.
If you look at the future of what must be done in too much detail, the mountain you must climb to become an author with your first book may seem insurmountable. Your genre requires …
There is no secret to writing a novel
Good morning.
‘What are you talking about?’ I hear you gasp. ‘What do you mean, there is no secret?’ I have come to this realization after looking for one. I looked for one just in case there was a shortcut to getting it done. There isn’t. I have uncovered this valuable, somewhat sad, yet enlightening, information after several Crusade-sized efforts. What is it, then, that enables some people to churn out successful fiction or nonfiction? They are …
Right way to write?
Good morning. There are many ways to write. Is there a right way to write? Ahh! This all depends more on you than experts whose advice flows thicker than molasses. How so?
As new writers, we are encouraged to talk to more experienced writers, asking them about how they think we should get our novel under way. Seems like a first-class idea. And so it is. Now for a word — or two — of caution. Ask ten writers for their thoughts on how to best approach your …
Listen to a writing pro
Good morning. I have been impressed. For me, that is usually a difficult thing to do.
Why was I impressed? Well, I attended a meet and greet with Helen Goltz — a lover of crime writing — organized by the local library. Helen filled the audience with ideas and enthusiasm, I even took a couple of notes and didn’t complain about wasting time when I got home — a great session.
Each member of the audience was given the opportunity for input into the session. This complemented the fabulous ideas from the presenter and filled the session with multiple energies and experiences, cleverly wound around the theme of crime writing. We heard …
I’m so glad I met you
A couple of weeks ago, I told you that I found the urge to write again. One way of keeping that adrenaline and commitment pulsing has been to share progress with you. So far, I am buoyed by the new strategy. Talking to you has kept my production up. It has been more varied in its scope too. I have no doubt it is nowhere near as voluminous nor varied as some of your writing, Nevertheless, I’m so glad I met you. So far, it has been a glorious relationship, remaining full of promise. Let’s keep it that way.
Today, I did a few tweaks to the website, both visible and invisible. I also started reading a few …
Just like you and me
At writer group meetings and events, you hear, even pay to hear, stories from authors who may have published a dozen or more books. You may be feeling glum — struggling to write “the end” on your first. There are so many things to get right. It seems amazing that people can be so productive. They gain awards and other recognition — like you paying to listen to them — and sell hundreds, thousands of books. Hearing this makes the full process of getting published appear more formidable.
Attend some of these events. Talk to presenters and members of the audience and you will see that it turns out that these people are just like you and me. They talk about their family taking up time, lack of space to work, sick pets and people, and worry if …