One way to fire up your imagination? Creative writing exercises focused on the first line of a story. Below is a list of first lines for you to use to hone your storytelling and writing skills.
I’m a big believer in a conversational approach to writing a synopsis which frequently is also part of my plotting. This Guide to World Building works with this same idea. Rather than going all left brain and filling out a list, I just sit back and let the ideas flow. One great way to do this … [Read more…]
No, this is not a post about fan fiction or making a living as a copyright thief. It’s really more of a “write what you know” post or what you can research post. It’s a build your own world post based on what is already established or accepted. I’ve had two series that required some … [Read more…]
Affect vs effect. Many people use these words interchangeably, rather than correctly. So what do they mean? By definition, you “affect,” or act on something, and something that you do causes an “effect.” In other words, “affect” is a verb, and “effect” is a noun. Or think of it this way: “affect” is something you … [Read more…]
Years ago, a knew a woman (we’ll call her Amanda) who wrote romances, but never actually submitted one. At a writers’ meeting, a mutual published author friend was talking about making money as a writer, and Amanda kind of snorted and said, “C’mon, you can’t make real money writing.” To which the author said, promptly … [Read more…]