It’s easy for writers to fall into habits—some are beneficial, but many work against us. We slide into easy choices that may be keeping our story in the “okay, but nothing special” category. On the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writer’s blog this month, I talk about how important it is to question everything in our writing […]
Writing Craft
Never Say Never When Writing a Book
When it comes to writing a book, the minute you say “I’ll never do that,” you’ve probably guaranteed that someday you’ll find yourself doing exactly that. I talk about this very thing—and why it’s a good thing—on the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writer’s blog here: “Writers: Never Say Never.”
Use Mini-Frustrations to Propel Your Novel’s Character Forward – on the RMFW Blog
Frustration is a powerful emotion—so powerful, in fact, that it’s often the emotion that launches your novel’s main character into action. How can you use a series of mini-frustrations to build your character’s stress levels, increasing anticipation, tension, and suspense? Read my article on the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers blog for tips: “Frustration—Your Character’s Catalyst.”
Halloween-Worthy Writing Prompts – On the RMFW Blog
It’s that time of year when ghoulies, ghosties, and things that go bump in the night are around every corner! So fire up your Halloween energy and write yourself a scary story to celebrate the season. To get you started, I’ve posted my annual list of 10 new Halloween-worthy writing prompts on the Rocky Mountain […]
How to Write Loglines for Novels – On the RMFW Blog
A logline is what you get when an author takes 90,000-words’ worth of character, conflict, and compelling story, and distills it down into a single sentence. Sure, that sounds easy, but most authors would rather have several fingernails ripped out to avoid writing a logline. I’ve got some tips that might make the process a […]
Where to Begin the Beginning of Your Novel?
Story beginnings are hard. Start too early, and readers are bored. Start too late, and readers feel like they can’t catch up. So what’s the best place to start? For one possible answer, check out my blog post on the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers blog: “Why ‘Fashionably Late’ Is a Great Way to Begin.”
