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 that no one would ever see this draft, I still had to power through, ignore the distractions, and make my …
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 critiquers, beta readers, editors, proofreaders, everyone who read and reviewed the book, or just offered a word of encouragement along …
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 isn’t confused. The list goes on and on. But none of those are what I would call fatal mistakes. None …
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 lot, get some feedback. It’s a better way than trying to write an entire novel and then finding out it’s …
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 sense to me. None of this is rocket science (how’s that for a tattered cliche?), but they are well worth …
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 their masterpiece of prose to flow. Others plot out every detail, down to the color of minor characters’ eyes and …
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 novel change them emotionally. Iskra, my protagonist starts out as a kind-hearted person who wants to do the right thing. …
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 minds and make us want to keep reading. It’s because of them that we want to enjoy more of their …
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 book. This holds true for hard magic, others say, but what about soft magic? I have to confess …
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 emotional make up of characters can fix this problem, and provide fodder for subplots and twists along the way. It …