Writing It Sideways has a great post on filter words … those sneaky little words that put space between the reader and the protagonist, keeping the reader from being immersed in your story world. Words like to wonder, to think, to touch … The post has fantastic examples of how not to use these words in your prose. Word choice… Read More
I asked for questions, and you came up with some great ones! This is the last one… Margo asks: Do you feel as a writer that non-writing world (e.g. family, friends, co-workers etc) just don’t “get” you? What’s the first reaction you get when you tell people you’re an author? What kind of reaction do you get when you tell them you write… Read More
Today, I’m delighted to have Kai Strand, author of the newly released middle grade book The Weaver on Ink Spells to talk about moving, writing, and publishing with her small press, Guardian Angel Publishing. Serendipitously meeting Kai on Twitter and FB is one of the reasons I love the blogosphere. And her novel The Weaver – just out with a… Read More
I asked for questions, and you came up with some great ones! Laura asks: What’s been the biggest writing epiphany you’ve had that you remember? I’ve had several along the way, but the biggest was the realization that I had to write worse to write better. Let me explain. I had written a couple of novels a chapter at a time, revising… Read More
One of my favorite authors gave some great advice for NaNo-ites last year (thanks to Margo Berendsen for the link), but there’s one point that jumped out at me: Holly Black: There aren’t good books and bad books. There are finished books and books that still need more work. Please don’t let wondering if there’s a market for your book… Read More
I asked for questions, and you came up with some great ones! I’ll be sprinkling the answers over the next couple weeks. Sharon asks: Sorry, but I have to know what your favorite cheese is…mine is Irish white cheddar. (YUM) There really is no bad cheese, just as there is no bad tea. Unless the stink is enough to kill small animals,… Read More