Category: writing

4 Tips For Making the Most Of Your Writing Sessions

Whether you’re writing a blog post or a book, staying focused during a writing session is not easy. It is easy to check this and check that, frittering away valuable writing time. Most of us have other responsibilities, so it matters how you use the time you have to write. Prioritize your projects or steps within a project. Sometimes it’s easy to get sidetracked with less important projects or even aspects of a project and use all your writing time for that. I can have this problem when I’m having issues with my main WIP or I’m facing a more […]

10 Things I’ve Learned About Writing a Novel in a Month

Writing a book in a month is like a crush and a high-speed car chase with a Fast & Furious-worthy explosion at the end – on drugs. After a much-needed break this summer doing some fun things (including popping around Portside, er, Newport) and working on a side project, I start drafting book three of The Belinda & Bennett Mysteries, Drive-Bye, today! I draft my books in a month. I don’t know why, but I’ve found it works best for me. And these are ten things I’ve learned about this crazy awesome way of writing a book. 1. Get excited. […]

I Write Because I Love Surprises

I started writing the first draft of my sci-fi mystery novel, Hybrid Theory, around the middle of September. I’m making good progress but it’s been a little stilted the last week or so. This morning I finally got on a roll, and in the process I rediscovered one of the reasons I love to write so much. Surprises. I’ve never been much of a plotter in my writing. I used to write with absolutely no idea where I was headed, but to avoid unnecessary heartache during revisions, I’ve developed (or I should say I’m still developing) my own special blend […]

Whether scary, campy, or amusing, villains are often as important as the heroes. And sometimes they steal the show. I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately and I’m trying to improve the villains in my own novels. I don’t always have an easy time inventing them – or at least inventing what I consider to be good villains. So I’ve been dissecting some of my favorite bad guys and girls and here is the result. Mr. Tulkinghorn from Bleak House. You usually want the bad guy to go down, but I really wanted this guy to go down. He […]

Today’s post comes to us from one of my favorite people on Twitter, Jennie Ivins, better known as Autumn2May. This is her perspective on how writing her own novel has altered her view of reading. Enjoy! * * * Reading and writing have always gone hand in hand. One really can’t learn to write without knowing how to read. So then knowing how to write well must make reading easier, right? Well, sort of. I started writing my book in October of last year. I had never written before and really didn’t know what to expect. After finishing my first […]

So this is my simplified approach to concocting your own basic mystery. There are no set rules for what order you come up with things. Sometimes it’s best to roll with what wants to develop and leave the rest for later. So don’t feel hemmed in by the ordering. To quote Pirates of the Caribbean, the rules are really more like guidelines. Ready? 1. Every mystery needs a sleuth and they come in all genders, styles, and time periods. You have two basic categories: professional and amateur. A professional sleuth is an investigator by trade, but you have plenty of […]

Story is in the Details

I’m down to a lot of nitty-gritty editing with my current book, examining every nook and cranny of my story, characters, and setting. In the end, I want the small things to count as much as the big ones because when I think about my favorite books (and other media) it’s often details that hook me or keep me interested. I’ve narrowed it down to three categories that matter the most to me. Want to know what they are and why they matter? Thought you might. Here they are in no particular order: Character details. Quirks. Surprises. Mannerisms. Interests. Tastes. Isms. […]

Category: writing

4 Tips For Making the Most Of Your Writing Sessions

10 Things I’ve Learned About Writing a Novel in a Month

I Write Because I Love Surprises

My Favorite Fictional Bad Guys & Gals

How Writing Changed the Way I Read

Concoct a Mystery in 1, 2, 3

Story is in the Details