So many elements go into making a manuscript strong. One of the top ones for me as a writer, reader, and editor is...
Editing & Writing Advice
Tactical Tuesday: Advice for Self-Editing
Although the art of fiction lies within the author’s ability to create a world for the reader to visit and leave her...
Tactical Tuesday: Advice for Self-Editing
Recently, I asked fellow writers what advice they’d been given from other sources concerning opening scenes and what...
Do or do not…
People quote things all the time. We repeat favorite lines from movies, computer games, television shows and even news...
Good Writing is Timeless
Recently I stumbled upon How To Write for Moving Pictures: A Manual Of Instruction and Information, by Marguerite...
Dialogue Splitting
What is it? A dialogue split is when a character says something, then does an action, then continues speaking. “Look!...
Policing Procedure
The title is a play on words of an actual method of detecting crime and how crime books are written – they are called...
Dealing with Differences
Readers that know me are aware that I have a special place in my heart for children who have disabilities. I...
A Quickie Tip Sheet for Writing Romance
Components of a story:A HeroA HeroineHero's internal conflictHeroine’s internal conflict An external conflict The...
The March 9, 2010 Tuesday PROMPT
A prompt is a sentence or description that an author can use to build a story. I will post two prompts every Tuesday –...
But How Does That Make You Feel?
I love that psychological question. "But how does that make you feel?" That sentence has become the object of so many...
What Did She Say??
Now that I have your attention, let us discuss the dreaded ‘D’ word…DIALOGUE: noun - A conversation or other form of...