Last month, I was a speaker at the League of Utah Writers annual Quills Writing Conference in Salt Lake City. I moved to Colorado in May, but I guess they still like me in Utah, because they haven’t revoked my membership yet. So it was fun and motivating to see old writing friends and make […]
craft
Goal + Fear = Conflict
So there’s this guy. He’s tall. Bit of a loner. Okay, a lot of a loner, even when he’s with people. I know what he drives. I know what he drinks. I know he’s getting mixed up with a woman who may not be who she says she is. But I don’t know what makes […]
Breathing Life into Lackluster Beginnings
By Kelley Lindberg Beginnings. They aren’t easy. You’d think they’d be. After all, that’s where every story starts. How hard can it be, really? You just jump in a start telling the story. But many potentially good stories are stabbed through the heart by the dull wooden stake of a lackluster beginning. The problem with […]
Do Editors Really Hate Adverbs?
By Kelley Lindberg [I used Grammarly to grammar check this post, because most bots are boring, but bots that argue with you about grammar are disturbingly sexy.] At some point in just about every writing workshop or conference, someone reminds someone else that adverbs (those notorious “-ly” words) are the devil’s own tools and should […]
Are Your Settings Stuck In a Rut?
by Kelley Lindberg As humans, we often fall into ruts. We go to the same place for lunch more than we should admit. We read the same types of books and watch the same types of TV shows. We shop at the same stores and rotate through the same recipes for dinner every week. […]
Choosing Character Names
By Kelley Lindberg Choosing a name for your character is every bit as important – and sometimes as difficult – as choosing a name for your child. There are plenty of criteria for choosing the right name. You want the name to be memorable, for one. It should also be easy to say (or read). […]
