You are reading along, a scene ends a new one begins and… Wait… Where am I? Who am I with? WHAT IS HAPPENING? I’m lost… Have you ever had this experience? If so, that writer was guilty of not setting the scene in their story or as I sometimes call it, not grounding the reader. … [Read more…]
When creative challenges present themselves, what is your first reaction? Embarrassingly, my first reaction in the past has been NO WAY!! Recently, I had an opportunity to write an introspective political essay. A chance to be serious, honest, and dig into myself to uncover deep feelings. My first reaction? NO WAY!!! Yet, something (inspiration? my … [Read more…]
Beats in Fiction Writing? Honestly, beats isn’t a term I use a lot, but it is a term I hear a lot, so I thought it would be good to define what beats in fiction are and why they matter. Beats in Fiction Writing Defined According to Sandra Scofield in her book, The Scene Book, … [Read more…]
Creating a garden (or even being in one) is wonderful inspiration for writing. Keeping a garden journal is the perfect way to enjoy both. If you are a gardener, you can use your journal to make notes, develop to-do lists, plan your space, keep planting records and include photos of your garden as it begins … [Read more…]
Writing is about choosing powerful, interesting, and specific words to keep your readers engaged no matter what you are writing. Keeping readers engaged means making every word count. And nothing puts me more in the mood for a session of word-nerding than wisdom from Mark Twain. ~~~ “The difference between the almost right word & … [Read more…]