by Susan A.J. Lyttek It’s one thing to reminisce about Christmases gone by and to tell our own tales. But how do we go about creating traditions for a fictional character and make it seem both compelling and realistic? First of all, we can and should incorporate some of our own traditions. Maybe these go in with a minor character, …
Writing Christmas Fiction
by Susan A.J. Lyttek It’s one thing to reminisce about Christmases gone by and to tell our own tales. But how do we go about creating traditions for a fictional character and make it seem both compelling and realistic? First of all, we can and should incorporate some of our own traditions. Maybe these go in with a minor character, …
“Passive” Mania Blues
By Loretta Eidson I’m a high school graduate who majored in Home Economics and Math. English and Literature weren’t necessary to me at the time. Remembering how to dissect a sentence or conjugate a verb lasted about as long as ice cream on a hot summer day. So goes active voice and passive voice. Oh, my! Wish I’d paid more …
“Passive” Mania Blues
By Loretta Eidson I’m a high school graduate who majored in Home Economics and Math. English and Literature weren’t necessary to me at the time. Remembering how to dissect a sentence or conjugate a verb lasted about as long as ice cream on a hot summer day. So goes active voice and passive voice. Oh, my! Wish I’d paid more …
Honor the Craft
By Henry McLaughlin James Scott Bell posted a blog called Don’t Ever Mail It In where he wrote about the attitude that we’ve reached a certain point in our writing where we don’t have to improve. What struck me most is his definition of a real writer. It’s someone who honors the craft and never settles. In this blog, I’m …
Writing Out of My Comfort Zone
By Lee Tobin McClain I’m usually a planner… I’m a planner in all areas of my life. I write grocery lists, yearly goals, and daily plans. Most relevant to this post, I plan out my novels. I have chapter outlines and Goal-Motivation-Conflict charts for every book I write, and I usually plan out each scene before I write it. But …
Writing Out of My Comfort Zone
By Lee Tobin McClain I’m usually a planner… I’m a planner in all areas of my life. I write grocery lists, yearly goals, and daily plans. Most relevant to this post, I plan out my novels. I have chapter outlines and Goal-Motivation-Conflict charts for every book I write, and I usually plan out each scene before I write it. But …
Three Tips for Writing a Novella that Feels Like a Full Book
by Melissa Tagg I wrote my first novella in 2014…and, true story, I had noooo clue what I was doing! I’d published three novels at the time. I’d written short stories in college. But nothing in-between. Since then, though, I’ve written four more novellas and they’ve become some of my very favorite writing projects. I’ve also been intentional about reading …
Three Tips for Writing a Novella that Feels Like a Full Book
by Melissa Tagg I wrote my first novella in 2014…and, true story, I had noooo clue what I was doing! I’d published three novels at the time. I’d written short stories in college. But nothing in-between. Since then, though, I’ve written four more novellas and they’ve become some of my very favorite writing projects. I’ve also been intentional about reading …
Vacation, aka Book Marketing Research
By Glynn Young My wife and I have been to England several times for vacation, but this time it was vacation with a book twist. Shortly before we left, I had finished a manuscript and turned it over to the publisher. The story is set in Britain and mostly London. But it was with a huge feeling of relief that …