#Writing Prompt: The Big Flirt

March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb. This month is all about scenes that could be filled with anger or sensible adults talking something out. You decide! Up Next: Most relationships can handle a little flirting, but when your paramour gives all of his or her attention to someone for an…

#Otherworldly Words: Succubus

It’s March, and I’m continuing to look at less than flattering words to describe women.  (You can see why, in my first post!) The second word this month is succubus. As you can see from the illustration, a succubus is a type of temptress. (The male form is incubus.) Looking at the words this month,…

#Writing Prompt: It Is Better to Give, Than To Take

March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb. This month is all about scenes that could be filled with anger or sensible adults talking something out. You decide! Up Next: Relationships are about give and take, but one of your characters is better at the latter. How does s/he and his/her mate work…

#Writing Prompt: It Didn’t Stay in Vegas

March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb. This month is all about scenes that could be filled with anger or sensible adults talking something out. You decide! Up First: What happened in Vegas didn’t stay in Vegas…and now your character has to explain how s/he caught an STD. How does…

#Writing Prompt: Copy cat

This month’s writing prompt is all about lies! Characters are stretching the truth or avoiding it all together. When, how often, how good they are at it, and what they lie about can tell us about our characters — and our character’s character. Perhaps you even have an unreliable narrator on your hands. Up next: Copy…

Author Shorts Question 5: What or who do your characters look like?

I’ve asked a variety of authors— from horror to romance to comedy to non-fiction—to answer a few questions that I pose. Of course, I love a twist. All answers had to be no more than two sentences. Brevity presents a greater challenge. For me the process was delightful as well as insightful. I love that…

#Writing Prompt: Lying like a dog

This month’s writing prompt is all about lies! Characters are stretching the truth or avoiding it all together. When, how often, how good they are at it, and what they lie about can tell us about our characters — and our character’s character. Perhaps you even have an unreliable narrator on your hands. Up this week:…

Get to know your chracters

All this month I’m exploring lying in my writing exercises. The idea is that knowing when and how, as well as how often and how good they are at lying, tells you a bit about your characters. Here’s another odd ball way to get to know your characters: Personality tests. Most likely, you’ve come across…

#Writing Prompt: Stretching Your Credentials

  This month’s writing prompt is all about lies! Characters are stretching the truth or avoiding it all together. When, how often, how good they are at it, and what they lie about can tell us about our characters — and our character’s character. Perhaps you even have an unreliable narrator on your hands. This week:…