by Katherine Reay, @Katherine_Reay “Longer Ago, Further away or ‘About to be’…” * If you’ve written more than one story, I expect you can look back and find a recurring theme — …
The Fear Trap
by Andrea Christenson, @andrea143 As writers we often joke about finding ourselves doing anything to avoid writing. We do the laundry, clean out the fridge, scrub at the grout in the …
It’s All About Character
by Katherine Reay, @Katherine_Reay Our ability to engage our readers comes down to the characters we share with them. Compelling characters make a rich and rewarding story — and keep readers wanting …
Eight Writing Maxims to Embrace
by James L. Rubart, @jameslrubart Back in 1992, bestselling author Mona Simpson offered 13 maxims for the writing journey in the The Writer magazine. I’m going to list eight of them I …
When It is Time to Rewrite: 4 Steps to Improve Your Manuscript
My fourth novel, Crazy Little Thing Called Love, is due to my editor on August 1. Yes, I am aware that is a mere 29 days away. No, I am not counting hours or minutes — yet.
With my fast draft in hand … well, spread all over my desk and sometimes all over the coffee table in the family room … I am ready for rewrites.
Yes, yes, I am.
First things first: there are certain things I don’t do when I am this close to deadline and deep into rewriting.
I do not clean my house.
I do not cook.
Hmmm. Reality is, I don’t clean my house or cook that much when I’m off deadline. I’m just being honest here. When I’m off deadline, I’m plotting a new novel or I’m dealing with second round edits or galleys . . . or something! I’m thankful my husband loves me.