Q&A: So, about “stealing”…
Recently, I received a question about one of my previous posts Stealing: How to do it the Right Way. I thought that this question was a perfect example of the […]
Dialogue: Writing Natural Conversations
In my previous article Inspiration: Mining the World for Ideas, I mentioned carrying a notebook at all times and recording interesting tidbits of dialogue for stories. In that article I […]
Inspiration: Mining the World for Ideas
There are times in most writers’ lives where their muse takes an unannounced vacation. Sometimes, there’s no real reason for this desertion, and sometimes she doesn’t even leave a note […]
Books: The Thirteenth Tale
Margaret Lea’s life has revolved around books for as long as she can remember, but her favorite stories have long been biographies. She devoured memoirs and diaries and adored bringing […]
Characters: Why Perfection is Annoying
People aren’t perfect. Of course, perfection, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder, but people aren’t universally perfect. In fact, most people’s automatic reaction when they see someone […]
Update: Apologies
Three weeks into the new year and I’m already dangerously close to breaking one of my New Years resolutions. It is a sad state of affairs. Because of this failing, […]
Update: New Years Resolutions
In the spirit of the holiday season and the strong desire to be held accountable by someone other than myself for the goals I have in mind, I decided to […]
Characters: Really Listening to the Voices in Your Head
“Where do your characters come from?” It’s a question many authors are asked, and each one has a different answer. Some characters are based on a single individual, while others […]
Update: I’ve Graduated!
Yesterday, I turned in my last undergraduate paper! I am no longer a college student! In fact, for the first time in my life (that I can remember–I don’t think […]
Outlining: The Good, the Bad, and the Helpful
I used to hate brainstorming. Do you remember those days in elementary school when the teacher would set aside time in the day for you to create Venn diagrams and […]
Update: My life
For those of you who have been keeping tabs on my slowly flowering blog, I wanted to let you know why you probably won’t get a new post for another […]
Setting: Why it Matters and How to Choose One
Susan smiled as she watched her five-year-old son, Ryan,playing on the swings; simply hearing his squeals of laughter each time the swing reached its peak made her happy. Her eyes […]
Fanfiction: Pros and Cons
Fanfiction (noun): fictional stories based on a popular book, movie, television show, etc. In the past ten years, as internet use has become close to universal, there has been an […]
Stealing: How to do it the Right Way
Say it with me: There are NO completely original ideas left in the world. Again? Sure! There are NO completely original ideas left in the world. And one more time […]
Writing: Why Bother?
Ask yourself this question and, please, answer honestly: Why do I want to write? If your answer consists mainly of ideas like “Because I want to be rich and famous,” […]