Characters Don’t Speak in Semicolons
People don’t speak in semicolons and neither should your characters.
The Second Argolicus Mystery
The Peach Widow Get your copy of The Peach Widow. After Rome, before the Middle Ages, Italy belonged to the Ostrogoths. A distressed widow. Greedy brothers. A huge farm dog. Argolicus unravels the threads. Argolicus and Nikolaos Visit A Farm When Argolicus, is asked by his mother to counsel a grieving widow on the laws…
Two New Stories in the Works
Editing & Writing I’ll be publishing The Peach Widow soon. One editor was away and is now back working on the second half of the story. In one way, I’m enjoying the time to work on suggested edits before the next round appears. Rephrasing, augmenting, and rewriting is tedious work for me so I am…
Daily Writing Word Count
How Many Words Should I Write a Day? rWord count varies per writing session varies from writer to writer. The most important aspect of your word count goal is to set a reasonable target on a daily basis. Some days you may reach your goal, some days you may not reach your goal, and–the best…
The Right Time to Write
Find Your Best Time to Write #wsite-video-container-852732515217709297{ background: url(//www.weebly.com/uploads/2/0/3/5/20356281/wt_to_save_702.jpg); } #video-iframe-852732515217709297{ background: url(//cdn2.editmysite.com/images/util/videojs/play-icon.png?1504217335); } #wsite-video-container-852732515217709297, #video-iframe-852732515217709297{ background-repeat: no-repeat; background-position:center; } @media only screen and (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 2), only screen and ( min-device-pixel-ratio: 2), only screen and ( min-resolution: 192dpi), only screen and ( min-resolution: 2dppx) { #video-iframe-852732515217709297{ background: url(//cdn2.editmysite.com/images/util/videojs/@2x/play-icon.png?1504217335); background-repeat: no-repeat; background-position:center; background-size: 70px 70px; }…
Beta Readers and the Story
Reader Feedback and the Story The first draft of The Peach Widow is finished. Now for edits before publishng. But along the way, when I took the next-to-the-last chapter to my Word Blenders writers group there was a hue and cry at the ending of the chapter. Readers Get Invested in the Story Spoiler Alert…
Taking a Womble in the Writing World
Wander, Ramble, and Roam Writers write. Sometimes I wander around in my head looking for a place where I can meet someone. A music loving friend, Dave Pipe, from Sussex, England, might call it a mental womble. I think about various places and visit them. I look around to see who is there. I meet…
The Flawed Hero
The Call to Battle Demons I’m a bit tired of heroes who seemed conceived to illustrate the author’s genius in coming up with exotic reasons why the hero has a character flaw or emotional challenge or disability that he/she must overcome. Life offers up challenges for all of us. So, following my own guidelines, I…
Writing Experiments
Playing with Writing A writer who wants to write good stuff needs to read great stuff. Ursula LeGuin says in her book Steering the Craft: A 21st-Century Guide to Sailing the Sea of Story. The book is a guide for writers. Each exercise is prefaced by examples from writers followed by a writing exercise following…
Five Rules Make it Easy for Readers to Post Reviews
The Five Rules for a Book Review For authors getting book reviews is a big hurdle. Often even your loyalist fans who love your book are intimidated to actually post a review. Make it simple for them. Whenever you can, assure your readers that they don’t need to be brilliant, or write a long…