“May I Introduce You to . . .” Or “My Start as a Writer.”

I didn’t always know I wanted to be a writer, much less an authoress. At first, the closest I approached . . .

“Choose Your Canvas” or “The Advantages and Disadvantages of Different Book Forms.”

My first writing interest was the novel. It is still my focus as an whole, though I have tried my hand at children’s stories and . . .

“The One Where We Ask For Help.” or “Mentors, Family, and Friends.”

With “Boys Will Be Boys” I had the text ready, or nearly so, for years. The problem was . . .

“What’s Your Poison?” or “Choosing Genre.”

The choice of genre could be easy or difficult depending on how you view it. Sometimes it can be quite an easy choice, as a genre can just be a natural fit . . .

“Even Fledglings Must Test Their Wings.” or “The Importance of Practice.”

What is the biggest problem when first putting pencil to paper or fingers to keys? Well, I suppose it varies from person to person, but if one is making their writing effort . . .

“It’s Great to Be on the Road Again.” or “Back in the Saddle . . . Kind of.”

In this post, I will give some of what I have done since my imagination started to pick up again. It has been slight, but I am able to write again. It was . . .

“Publicity, and Blogging, and Marketing, Oh My!” or “The Trials of Getting Your Book Noticed and Bought.”

Let me start off with these points: 1. I am self-published on a budget (no budget), therefore . . .

5 Reasons I Love Being a Self-Published Author

Basically, I wanted to be able to make a difference without having to wait through years of . . .

“It Just Takes One Little Spark” or “What Starts the Flame of a Story?”

What is inspiration for stories or books in general? People seem to be interested in the inspiration behind their favorite books. So, I will . . .

“Can You Stand on Your Soapbox?” or “Character Quirks Vs. Physical Traits.”

There are people who might tell you that a quirk is a physical feature that stands out. Don’t listen to them.

At the risk of sounding like I am going off on a rant, let me give you a logical explanation.

“Who’s Driving This Thing?” or “What Drives Your Writing?”

If you are writing for the fame, the money, or the glory; to be a famous writer like Stephen King (horror), Eve Bunting (children’s books), Jane Austin (romance), or Terry Brooks (fantasy), let me something tell you right now. The odds are . . .

“Fairy Tales and Horror Stories.” or “What is Your Success? Pt. 1: Oh, the horrors.”

There are many stories about the process of becoming a published author. Some are horror stories and some are fairy tales . . . Are they true? Well . . .

“Fairy Tales and Horror Stories” or “What’s your success?” Pt. 2:   “The Fairy Tales.”

In my last post, I covered the horror stories that are told about becoming an author. Now, for the flip side . . .

“Fairy Tales and Horror Stories” or “What’s your success?” Pt. 3 “Reality and success.”

So . . . horror stories or fairy tales? Both can be true. Both can be false. Where does the majority of truth fall? I have a tendency to believe that..

“Here we go ‘round the mulberry bush” or “My different writing trials  pt.1”

In some of my posts, I have mentioned books that I am currently working on. I have decided to write about these books in a little more detail . . .

“Here we go ‘round the mulberry bush” or “My different writing trials  pt.2”

In one of my previous posts, I said that I have two other books that I consider “properly in the works.” This post is to follow up on that concept. Hold on to your hats.

“Sweat it Out and Don’t Sweat it” or “Writing Exercises.”

The raw diamond looks very little like the cut and polished object. Also, in order to create those gems, they must undergo pressure. The raw materials are there, but it takes hard work to produce that gem.

Evil Schemes” or “About Plotting and Worldbuilding: Non-Technical Overview.”

What goes into creating the world in which a story takes place? I’m not going to go into technical descriptions. I will not be using precise methods or terminology. I want this to be as simple as possible for

“Opportunities and Obstacles.” or “Perfectionism.”

Perfectionism can be a great benefit and a great trial at any given time. Writing and illustrations are no exceptions. I read and reread . . .

Happy Villaintines: Give Your Villain Some Love.

How much work do we give to the protagonist or hero? “A lot, duh.” You say?

“Learning and Resources” or “I know nothing, nothing, nothing.”

“Just do it” This is what I told as I tried to accomplish, not just in writing but in life in general. This came from people I asked for advice, steps, and best practices. How do I do it without falling flat on my face and not knowing why? The answer I would receive was . . .

“What in the World?” or “What about Worldbuilding?”

I want to discuss worldbuilding worksheets. First, let me mention the things I have trouble with . . .

“Decisions, Decision, Decisions.” Or “Writing Options.”

Whether you have plenty of free time in which to get your thoughts down or you have only a few minutes here and there, an important consideration is this . . . How are you going to get your thoughts down?

“Seeing the forest for the trees” or “Outlining.”

Outlining, yuck. Right? That has been my opinion since I learned about outlines. I would like to say right now; I haven’t actually changed my mind, per se. I have simply changed my view . . .

“What a Character.” Or “Character Building: Inspiration Vs. Planning.”

I keep coming back to this matter because the consideration of inspiration versus planning is important to any creative endeavor. As I am going along on my writing journey, I, as could be expected, have come across both.

Netflix: Starving the artist

I am sure many, if not all of you, are aware of the writers’ and actors’ strikes. I am also sure you are wondering why I am mentioning Netflix in particular, since they are not the only ones posing problems.

AI: Artistic Augmenter or Creative Death.

AI has been in the news a lot lately. It is the source of much controversy. Even those who helped create it are now warning against it. Yet, many will aggressively defend it. Who is correct?

“Not Enough Time on My Hands.” Or “Finding Time to Write.”

How do you find time to write? Well, this seems to be something that comes up a lot as I’m reading blogs and books . . .

“My Top 5 Teas for Writing” Or “Stay for a Cuppa”

I’m sure most of my readers are aware of the soothing and focusing powers of a warm drink. These are my top 5 teas for writing . . .

5 Movies for Valentine’s Day: Good Viewing for Writers.

Whether you have a significant other or are going stag this year, many of us tend to turn our thoughts to the idea of love, but who says love is only about romance?

You Are What You Eat: Food Additives

Have you ever actually read the labels on the prepared foods that are produced for the majority of the population to pick up and to throw in the microwave or to eat straight out of the package? If you have, you’ve probably been bombarded with a long list of almost as long words . . .

“Pickax to cut cloth.” or “Using your friends wisely.”

Because I got a big picture view and made sure I saw the forest instead of just one tree, I was able to talk some of these plot holes through.

“It’s Not the How, It’s the Why” Or “What Motivates Your Characters?”

Please, do not underestimate the necessity for your characters to have some motivation. If they are not motivated, they won’t move. They will go about their lives as they have always done. In that case, you have no story.

“Top 5 Motivation Tips for Writing.” or “Keep those doggies rollin'”

Ok. Let’s just come out and say it. Writing is romanticized, no ifs, ands, or buts. It’s a fact. It isn’t all sunshine and roses . . .

“What’s in a Name?” Or “Naming Your Characters.”

How much attention do you give to naming your characters? Let me put it this way. How much time or energy would you put into naming a child?

“Knock, Knock Neo” or “Neo2 Review”

I would like to share with my readers about a beautiful writing tool . . . really, it is just a small screen and a keyboard with the minute amount of memory that is required by a device whose sole purpose is word processing.

“I Dream of Dragons” or “My First Anthology”

Hello, my readers. Today, I think I’m going to discuss a little detour I have made in my writing experience . . . Normally, I don’t write short stories. They are difficult for me. I prefer . . .

“Book Titles” Or “Has Anyone Told You, You Look Just Like . . .” 

. . . There is a name you have to consider which makes the importance of character names pale in comparison. This name is for your book.

“What is Your Story Worth to You?” or “Editing and Grammar”

When I see the breaking of very simple grammar rules . . . more and more frequently, it simply astounds me. Yet . . .

“If You Want it Done Right” or “Editing Pt 2”

One of the things that a writer might not consider is the ever true ‘clichéd’ rule: “If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself.”

This is not to say . . .

“Antagonist vs Protagonist point of view.” or “The Butterfly Effect.” Part 1

I’m going to open with a question. Which character’s point of view is most important when plotting a story? I wonder how many of my readers would say “The Protagonist, of course.”

“Antagonist vs Protagonist point of view.” or “The Butterfly Effect.” Part 2

This post is a continuation of my last post where I discussed the importance of the antagonists point of view. I posed the consideration that the protagonist’s POV can be nearly powerless without …

“Winken, Blinken, and Nod” or “Sleep”

Sleep, really, That’s my topic? How boring can it get, right? When we sleep, we just lay there in one place, give or take, depending on the person. The most exciting thing we do is, maybe, dream …

“Prospective Change for Writer’s Block” or “Two Steps Forward, One Step Back”

I have written on the topics of worldbuilding and outlines in some of my previous posts. Now I would like to talk about something that will likely happen at one point or another during the writing process.