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…
Tag: writing fiction
Stay Positive, Writers!
It’s the first day of summer break for me, and that means it’s time to dust off my work in progress and hunker down. I’d really love to have this novel done by the end of summer. However, in doing so, there are challenges. It’s really easy to tell ourselves that our work is mediocre…that…
The Postcard & Other Short Stories Earns Finalist Award in 13th Annual National Indie Excellence Awards
Finalist | Short Stories | 2019 National Indie Excellence Awards YOU GUYS!!!! Am I allowed to be a little excited for a moment? I was thrilled to learn on Friday that The Postcard and Other Short Stories & Poetry received recognition as a FINALIST in the 13th Annual National Indie Excellence Awards! This is the…
Keep Your Head Down
I’ve learned a few things from being an independent author and as someone who loves to write and tell stories, and it’s this: Just Do Your Thing. When I saw this quote from Michael Connelly, I paused, and then posted it on my Instagram page, where I post often about writing (and some fashion, too!)….
Fiction Friday: An Update
* I’m not exactly sharing a fictional story today, but I’m sharing with you the crazy writing journey I’m on at the moment as I write my fourth fictional novel. In December, after National Novel Writing Month ended, I was 45,000 words into a new story, one that I had set in the hills of…
Coffee…Magic..and Your Soul
I just wrote a scene from my newly revised novel, and I am feeling pretty good about myself. These days, I have to budget my time wisely: time to write for pleasure, time to research and write the second edition of our academic textbook, and time to get my ducks in order for the upcoming…
Conversations With My Daughter
Several years ago, I would write posts about conversations I had with my daughter, Ellie, when she was younger. Some of them are hilarious, like when she thought I was actually having breakfast with Michael Buble and when she told me women could be anything they wanted, just not priests. I’ve provided some links to…
Borrowing Character Inspiration and Traits From People You Know
The million dollar question writers are asked at book talks is this: How much of your characters are you or someone you know? It’s the question that has intrigued readers with every book or story they read. So, how does one answer this question? Very carefully. We can’t help it as writers if we borrow…
#NaNoWriMo Tribe: Proud of Us as the Finish Line Approaches
I know this doesn’t mean a lot to many people, but for the few of us who adore telling stories, I’m very proud of you. I wouldn’t be much good to anyone as a writing cheerleader if I didn’t actually participate in National Novel Writing Month and help encourage others to do the same….
Getting in the Write Frame of Mind
I can equate the feeling of getting in the right frame of mind for yoga to getting in the right frame of mind for writing. It’s time to stop finally stop saying you’re going to write it and actually do it. All I can do is strongly encourage you to write, to tell the…
National Novel Writing Month Kick-off Next Week
Writers get excited about National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) like kids get excited about gifts at the holidays. It’s fun, it’s fulfilling, and it can be frenetic. Why? Because you’re trying to write a novel during the month of November. That’s 30 days, people. And if you can’t finish it, you can at least make…
Friday Fiction : I Hate You (a flash fiction story)
On Fridays we write. Answering a prompt is a good way to stay in touch with your writing, storytelling, and creativity. In this flash fiction piece, the goal was to “write a story with the word ‘hate’ in it.” Simple parameter. I write a lot about relationships, mostly happy ones, and sometimes ones that are…
