“If there's a book that you want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it.” ― Toni Morrison
Last week I wrote a post about Mary Sues and why people write them. Today, I want to give you some unsolicited pointers on how to avoid writing a Mary Sue, or even a Gary Stu (the male equivalent). Enjoy! Start with a real person. While it may not be a good idea to base a… Continue reading How to Mary Sue Proof Your Characters
When you decide to become a writer, there's one truth that you must confront at some point: what you write will probably not be as good on paper as it was in your head. I've come to realize this after multiple drafts and constant rewrites of fiction, nonfiction, blog posts and etc. I know it's… Continue reading If You Want To Be a Writer, Lower Your Expectations a Lot
Women having hair that is waist length. Most women I know don't have hair that is waist length. Do you know how hard it is to brush a monster that long, or keep it from getting caught in everything? Mine only went down to my shoulder blades and I had to chop it all off… Continue reading Annoying Clichés Writers Use (Featuring Adorable Cats)
It's been over a week since I've updated this blog and I've been feeling guilty about neglecting it. I would use the excuse that I've been busy (and I have), but more than that, I've been emotionally rung out (haven't we all) and I didn't trust myself to use this medium without making it all… Continue reading Amidst Political Chaos, My Novel Progresses
After over a year of the same theme, I thought I might try something a little more bold as far as my blog's template is concerned. I'm not sure how people will respond to it, but I believe it's an improvement over the original. My attempt was to look a little bit more professional and… Continue reading Giving My Blog a Makeover
A fair amount of people are giving JK Rowling grief about constantly making amendments to the Harry Potter series. While I can understand where they are coming from (and heartily disagree that Hermione and Harry should have gotten together), I can't entirely blame her for not wanting to leave the Wizarding World forever. I mean,… Continue reading JK Rowling and the Inability to Let Go of Harry Potter
Does anyone else have a difficult time writing on Sunday? For me, it's one of the most grueling days to get any work done. Here I am, in a cafe, sitting in front of a laptop with a Pages document open to a story I've been writing for God knows how long, and all I… Continue reading The Dreaded Sunday Slump
I see tweets all the time about writing goals. Goals are good. Goals help motivate. But I've never been good at them. Deadlines help but I still struggle to meet them. A friend of mine gave me a deadline for two weeks and I think I emailed her the finished project about a month later. Word… Continue reading Word Count Goals
Growing up, it was difficult to find people who loved to read as much as I did. Or people who read at all, really. I've always baffled by people who claim reading is boring, and yet spend hours and hours in front of the TV watching reality television. "How can you read so much?" they… Continue reading Being a Reader in an Unliterary World
I love historical fiction. Especially novels that take place around the Victorian or Regency era. I realize I'm romanticizing a period of inequality, poor hygiene, and convoluted social rules, but dammit if they didn't look good in those waistcoats. What I don't love (well, besides everything I listed above) is all of the research that… Continue reading Research, Write, Repeat: Historical Fiction
The Crooked Pen 