5 Tips for Writing More, Writing Better. Cultivating a laser-beam focus
Last week, we lost our Internet connection for more than two full days. The initial shock rendered me temporarily immobile. What could I possibly do? I couldn’t work without connection to the outside world…. could I? No, the pain and discomfort was too much to face. I decided instead to get my car keys and […]
Chapter Three, I know you’re in there!
I’m really struggling to flesh out Chapter Three for several reasons; to begin, I’m introducing Liam Hayden, brother of my protagonist, Treva. The structure of my narrative rotates between the perspective of three family members: Treva, Liam and father Mike Hayden. The narrative reads distinctly as the thoughts of each, and therefore, in order to […]
Dog lover and author Sheryl Matthys scores BIG with her self-published book
My prevailing goal in 2010 is to be more focused. I’ve discovered that in my attempt to have many eggs in several baskets, what I have actually created are several extraneous time-wasters. Worse than that, I have blurred and sullied my various efforts resulting in only a handful of knowledge on several topics, when what […]
Is a novel’s outline ever really finished? Time to overhaul…
I have finally finished my rewrite of Chapter Two, after some constructive criticism from my husband. The rewrite helped me envision a more dramatic and challenging path for my character Aaron Langley, which required the introduction of a new character, Bernie Staithe. But doesn’t this compromise my (agonizingly time-consuming) outline? Certainly it does. And therefore […]
Improve your writing by slashing adverbs–Here’s how
Today’s educational and enlightening guest post is from the creative mind at My Literary Quest, authored by Utah resident “tsujigiri.” I feel an immediate kinship with this writer; like me, she has had a story to tell for more than a decade and is finally pursuing her dream of writing a fiction novel. Her distractions are/were […]
Anne Lamott’s tips for growing your creative spirit–and sense of purpose.
I offer you a guest-post of sorts today in the form of excerpts from Time Lost and Found by author Anne Lamott which I just found in the always pleasing Sunset magazine. As a mother who is a freelance writer and editor working from home, I often place my own needs (especially creative diversions) at the […]
Chapter two… Done? Not so fast
It was with a great sense of accomplishment that I completed chapter two. I absolutely loved getting in the mind of Mike Hayden, and introducing his thoughts, some of his history, and his pain from the loss of his beloved Camille. My main character, Treva, was originally supposed to be Mike’s son, but when I […]
Your Aha! Moment – Neural Evidence for Sudden Insight
A recent study published by the Cell Press in the May 13 issue of the journal Neuron supports the idea of “a-ha” moments in the brain that are associated with sudden insight. In the words of Albert Einstein, “You can never solve a problem on the level on which it was created.” Our daily lives […]
Fiction Writing Chapter Two: Character Name Crisis!
As I mentioned in Fiction Novel Writing: Chapter Two Begins! my second chapter’s narration springs from the mind of Mike Hayden, Treva’s father and the owner of Hayden Autos, a Southern California used-car dealership boasting mediocre success at best. A man of heart and good intentions, Mike’s hard work over the years have fallen short of […]
Writing And Blogging Can Improve Your Health!
Last night, my husband and I were discussing the future of blogging. With so many social media outlets–most of which requiring only a sentence or less, did blogging have a future? It’s easy to jump to “yes!”, especially if you are a writer who simply must write, or if you generate an income from your blog. However, […]
