Tip: Try color-coding your subplots Currently, as a part of NaNoWriMo, I’m working on the second novel in my Runes Trilogy, titled The Wolf in His Arms. The novel continues the plot from the first book, but goes in its own direction and adds a number of interrelated subplots that begin and end throughout the…
Category: Writing Wrongs: Essays on Language
This blog is an opportunity to discuss language – its usage, its limitations, and its beauty—through an array of shorter and longer essays.
Banned Books
Sept. 22 – 28, 2013, is Banned Books Week. I’ve long been a fan of banned books, because I figure if someone wants to ban a book, there’s something important for me to learn in it. Understanding others, understanding ourselves, understanding the universe–banned books have grappled with all of these topics and so many more….
On Writing Strong Female Characters
Everyday we’re bombarded with images, videos, and texts telling us how to be and who to be. The worst part: many of them contradict. Especially for women. Case in point: I was recently reading a great novel: suspenseful and well written…a best-seller, in fact. I almost couldn’t finish it, though, because the only lead female…
Pacing: A brief thought
Pacing, without a doubt, will make or break your story. I’ve seen a number of good articles on pacing (links at the bottom); however, I want to talk in more general terms than these articles. I think of pacing as the “heartbeat” of your story. So, in my mind, that pace is fluid—it can begin…
Set the mood, don’t ruin it
Some readers love descriptive detail that transports them to another place or time. Others, not so much. So, how does one walk that very fine live to satisfy as many readers as possible? First, you have to know your reader. Are you writing to an audience that loves sumptuous detail and the power of beautifully…
Writing an Outline
Some writers swear by the outline, others …meh. Personally, I tend to write novels that are a bit convoluted, so I find an outline immensely helpful. I recently released The Wolf at His Door, and I am currently working on The Wolf in His Arms, the second book in the trilogy. In the second book…
Suffering the slings and arrows of reviews (one author’s POV)
Many authors have a love/hate relationship with reviewers. We love the ones who rate us high (4 or 5 stars) and hate the ones who don’t. I feel this is a poor approach. I’ve had a number of good reviews and a few that have smarted a bit. I have found, however, that most bloggers…
It’s time to people watch like a big-time creeper!
Personally, I enjoy character research. It’s an excuse to people watch. Every new person I meet is fodder for a character. I think people watching offers a great window into understanding character interactions. Among other things, It can help with: dialogue mannerisms traits background Some of my favorite places for people watching are parks, coffeehouses,…
My eyes are deceiving me
Can you trust your eyes and ears? Can we trust the eyes and ears of a character? Playing with narrator reliability can be fun, but it’s a double-edged sword. Readers must never feel tricked or lied to, so substantiating the unreliability of a first-person narrator is important. “I’m a liar. I’m a known liar, that’s…
Let’s talk about sex, baby
Ah, the sex scene. Some writers seem to love the lurid detail and intimacy of a graphic sex scene. For others, the idea of intimate detail is a bit more difficult to approach. In my writing, I have mostly done the movie equivalent of “the camera pans away as things get hot and heavy.” In…
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