This week I started writing the first book in my next series. Typing those first few words was a battle with inertia. And fear. And procrastination driven by fear. Even though I kept telling myself…
Yes, I’m celebrating! Flight of the Spark won a silver medal for YA Epic Fantasy in the Readers’ Favorite contest. Thrilled and delighted doesn’t seem to cover it. I’m grateful for the support from my…
I’ve read all kinds of books and blog posts that tell me how to be a better writer. Show, don’t tell. Cut out adverbs. Don’t give too much backstory. But give enough so the reader…
Writing a story isn’t as simple as it seems. I realized this when I tried to follow of the writing advice I’d been given. Write a short story, I was told. You’ll learn a…
We’d all love that, wouldn’t we? Writing an award-winning novel. And not just any award, but a prestigious one. Here’s a little video with a seven step guide. Some of these made a lot of…
Everyone’s got their own idea on how to write a novel. Some writers say they just let their muse take them down whatever path it desires. They let their imagination roam, creativity soar, and permit…
Last week I looked at a few novels to discover how the protagonists grew emotionally. Now I’m trying to think of the ways my main characters grow and change, and how the events of the…
What makes a novel memorable? Is it the plot or the action? Or is it the characters? I think, even in fantasy and action genres, that the characters are the aspect that stick in our…
One thing that sets the fantasy genre apart from the others is its use of magic. Many reviewers say that the better thought out the system of magic in the story, the better the…
Creating characters who seem to leap off the page and think for themselves is no easy task. It’s far too easy to allow characters, especially minor ones, remain one dimensional and flat. Thinking through the…