“If there's a book that you want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it.” ― Toni Morrison
Writing the first draft for a novel is hard. Writing the second draft is harder. As a notorious quitter with a graveyard of W.I.P.s on her laptop, I was surprised when I actually wound up completing the first draft of my passion project. Considering how often I become overwhelmed by the prospect of cramming all… Continue reading W.I.P Novel Draft 2- Electric Avenue: The Emotional Stakes Are Higher
I don't think it is unusual for creatives to experience dry spells. Especially those of us who work full-time jobs and can only create during those precious rare moments we have to ourselves. For me, however, the dry spells have become disconcertingly common, to the point where I wonder if this is my new normal.… Continue reading “F-It Bucket” Stories, or How I Got My Story-Writing Brain to Work Again
Writer's Block is easy enough to understand. Writer's Guilt, however, is a bit different. Writer's Block passes—sometimes like a kidney stone, but it passes. But Writer's Guilt lingers. At least it does for me. Writer's Guilt is when you, as a writer, find yourself in a rare moment of calm, of relaxation, of repose, but… Continue reading Writer’s Guilt: You Should Be Writing….or Should You?
I think it's no secret to anyone that has followed this blog for any length of time that I am not always the best at updating.....ever. While, on occasion, I'm seized by the writing bug and punch out a couple of blog posts a month, other times I do well to publish one in six… Continue reading Blog Update, Or The Author Details Her Intentions
Author's note: I have been wanting to write a bit more on the nature of critique and the relationship writers have with critics for some time now, but I have realized it will likely take more than one post in order to properly articulate all my feelings on the subject. As such, I will do… Continue reading Writers v. Beta Readers: Critique Series Part 1
WARNING: SPOILER ALERT FOR DOCTOR WHO SERIES 12 FINALE EPISODE. I know I said I was done with Who but I promise this isn't just another reason to rag on the series 12 finale and why The Timeless Children is undoubtedly the most insulting episode to anyone that cares about Doctor Who and its history. The… Continue reading Why Canon Matters
I wrote a couple weeks ago about my conversion from a pantser into a plotter. Since then I have continued to hammer away at this outline and I thought it would be interesting to talk about my experience with it so far. Firstly, I still find my new and improved method of plotting leaps and… Continue reading Diary of a Pantser Turned Plotter: Status Update
I think most people in the writing blogosphere know what a pantser and plotter are by now, but just in case you don't, here's a quick definition: A "pantser" is someone who writes based on their intuition, or "flying by the seat of their pants." A "plotter," however, well....plots. That isn't to say pantsers don't… Continue reading Why I Converted From a Pantser into a Plotter
I have a confession to make. While I consider myself to be a major reader, up until about three weeks ago, I had not frequented a library in almost 2 years. Before you judge,I had a good reason (or at least I thought). Life was getting hectic and I have no impulse control. I was… Continue reading Falling Back in Love with the Library
Being a writer is- ..spending hours trying to describe how a character walked through a door. ...looking up synonyms for "said" every other sentence. ...typing for 3 hours straight and then deleting everything but one sentence the next day. ...having 10 works in progress you're probably never going to finish. ...imagining yourself discussing your books… Continue reading Being a Writer is…
The Crooked Pen 