*** At almost 17,000 words in, I can’t hold in my excitement for the challenge I have ahead of me. Writing this next novel is going to require some thought and some time to get it all in order. There are so many moving parts to this story that I grabbed a notebook and am… Read More The Path to Writing Novel Number 5
* Currently, I’m not writing anything, but next week, I will begin to dive deeply into novel number five, picking up with Chapter 3 where I left off before coronavirus intensified the nature of my working life. The novel is still to be named, which I hate, actually. I typically have to have a working… Read More What I’m Writing Now (or my current WIP)
Today’s podcast addresses writing a character sketch. It’s your job as the author to know everything there is to know about the characters you are including in your stories. How do you write one and what should you include? Check out today’s podcast to find out! * Stephanie Verni is Professor of Communication at Stevenson… Read More Podcast 7 – Writing a Character Sketch—it’s pretty helpful
Today, I’m posting a quick THANK YOU to those of you wonderful readers who have purchased my book, attended my book launch last week, or tagged me in social media posts. It’s heartwarming to see so much interest in the book, and I’ve loved hearing from you and seeing the photos you’ve shared with your… Read More Thank You, Readers! I’m Flattered.
Set in beautiful St. Michaels, Maryland, my newest novel delves into the notion of the importance of family, friendship, moving on, and starting over. The idea of bringing in some of the characters from Inn Significant into this new story was an absolute thrill for me, and I did my best to do so for… Read More Teaser Ads for LITTLE MILESTONES and a Bit About the Novel
As someone who writes fiction as my side job, I seek inspiration, either from other people or from places. Additionally, as a writer who is about to publish my 4th novel, I use places almost as I use characters in my novel—they must have a personality and purpose. Setting is very important to me, and… Read More Finding Inspiration
*** Well, I’m officially getting excited! As I posted a few weeks ago, I finally decided upon the name of my fourth novel, LITTLE MILESTONES, and I have a first draft of the cover. When it gets to this point, it begins to feel as if things are coming together. I’m sharing the first cover… Read More A Little Teaser for My Upcoming Novel: Little Milestones
I’m just gonna put this out there because it makes me sad: too many people are not reading. They are spending their time on other things, which is great, but I would like to see the average books people read a year climb (see a piece I wrote last year about average number of books… Read More The Wonderful, Wacky World of Writers
A postcard for you, my dear readers. 🙂 And a special thanks to my mother, for the constant inspiration and support of my side-career.
/FICTOGRAPHY/ def. — The intersection of photography (submitted by readers) and fiction (written by me!). A few years ago, I executed a writing challenge whereby readers submitted travel photos they took, and I would write the story that I imagined went along with that photograph. Today, as I write this, my students are engaged in… Read More Fictography For Old Time’s Sake and as a Teaching Tool: Back Home
* After reading Christina Baker Kline’s wonderful book Orphan Train last year, I knew I had to read her newest book, A Piece of the World, based on a woman named Christina who was supposedly a muse of Andrew Wyeth’s and the subject in his painting Christina’s World (pictured above). Knowing little about art except… Read More Book Review: A Piece of the World by Christina Baker Kline
* Today, my dear readers, I am going to give it to you straight. Straight up, as Paula Abdul once sang. And believe me, what I’m about to share with you is going to cause me to do quite a bit of work. Lots and lots of work. But in the end, I am hoping… Read More When You Majorly Alter Your Work in Progress After Writing 50,000 Words: The Hard Truth About Writing A Novel
