Welcome to 2024, a shiny new year full of promise and good intentions and definitely not heinous deceptions. Like you, I’m positive this is the year eight billion people will suddenly and inexplicably—all prior evidence to the contrary—morph into rational, caring, kind human beings. I hope I bought the right shoes for the occasion. Anyway, […]
inspiration
Holiday Gifts for Writers 2023 – on the RMFW Blog
It’s back—my annual list of holiday gifts that any writer on your list will love! Writers can be hard to shop for, what with them being bleary-eyed and stuck in alternate realities most of the time. But never fear, my gigantic list of gift ideas will surely have just the thing for that hard-to-shop-for writer […]
Novel Writing: A Love Story
I’ve started writing a new novel, and we’re in the honeymoon phase together, my novel and I. I’m infatuated with this shiny new idea, digging into the research with wild abandon and gleefully exploring my new characters. It’s like starting any new relationship—I have thousands of questions for my characters to learn who they are […]
Sidewalk Inspiration – Strolling Library Way in NYC
In New York City, the natural urge is to look up. Up at the towering skyscrapers. Up at the cathedral spires. Up at the neon extravaganza of blazing signs in Times Square. But on a trip to NYC a few months ago, I found myself looking down. And my heart rose for it. I was […]
Aliens, Cows, and Story Ideas
A friend recently told a group of us that the county I live in, out here in eastern Colorado, was a hot-spot for crop circles and cattle mutilation back in the 1970s. Let me tell you, nothing derails a perfectly mundane writers’ discussion about passive voice like UFOs. “You mean, seriously? Or were they hoaxes?” […]
Ten Things Writers Never Want to Hear
My admin can type really fast, so we don’t need to hire a writer. I have a great idea for a book based on my life growing up as a middle child in an average family. Will you write it for me? I just got fired, so instead of looking for a new job, I’m […]