All Blog Posts Tagged 'writing' (539)

Michael Brookes is an Executive Producer with a leading UK games developer. Working in games and writing are two of his life passions and he considers himself fortunate to be able to indulge in them both. He lives in the east of England, enjoying starry skies in the flattest part of the country. When not working or writing he can sometimes be found sleeping, which is good, as that is where many good ideas come from.

Christine: Are you solely a writer or do you have multiple…

We speak of "weaving" subplots together.  I cannot think of a better metaphor.  Each sub-plot is a thread of a different color.  The author's job is to choose a palate, and then weave and layer those threads together to create the final tapestry.  What…

Although I love writing, most of the time I have to put myself into the writing mood. I'm sure i'm not the only one.

Question for my fellow authors:

What do you do to get yourself into the writing mood?

I'll give my answer:

I lock myself in my office, listen to "Angus Stone Radio" on Pandora, sip on an ice-cold glass of whiskey, and type my little heart out.

Anyone else?

Hello fellow readers and writers!

I was graciously asked by B B Shepherd to participate in an author blog challenge. It’s called the “seven/seven blog challenge” and it sounds like a great opportunity to share my work-in-progress, Chronicles of a Troubled Girl, with you! Before I do, here are the details of the blog challenge:

1. Choose seven lines from page 7 or 77 of your current…

A late post this week because I was off to Black Belt Camp on Thursday.

Once again, I must admit I didn't write the basic points to this blog. I did, however write the details under each point. This blog is credited to author Will Lavender, who I met at the 2012 Killer Nashville conference. He presented this seminar on plot fundamentals.

I enjoyed this seminar even though I'm a…

Thanks to the advances in technology, there are many people who now are able to work from home.  More and more people are discovering the benefits and realizing the drawbacks of making your basement, spare bedroom or unused space at home an office.  It is knowledge that writers have had for a long time.  After all, rare is the occasion when someone pays one to sit in an office in a high-rise building and pen a novel.



To the commuting, office-dwelling, 9-5 worker bees the…

The Making of an Author, DianneHarman's Blog Interview with Robert Shaw, http://ow.ly/hKI48 #ASMSG #IAN1

“Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.”

At first I thought this was a little insensitive to the dead person's surviving family. Do the grandsons really need to read about grandma getting run over by a reindeer? Then I thought: lighten up, these truths are supposed be light-hearted fun.

With the last truth I discussed how much detail to put into a…

Do you have a terrific idea for a book, but lack either the patience, the time, the motivation or the skills to flesh it out?  Maybe what you need is a ghostwriter!  Below is a guest post by Karen Cole, owner and president of Ghost Writer, Inc., detailing her experience, skills and services.…

“MapQuest really needs to start their directions on step 5. I'm pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.”

I agree. Actually, I use MSN Maps and always skip ahead to the point in the trip that is unfamiliar. For those of you planning on using any of these programs, they're pretty handy. Take into account, however, how the mapping system is designed. Is it going to give you the fastest route or…

Currently I am offering a coupon: YJ67E for a free copy of my novel Judged By Your Peers on Smashwords

So I thought I’d offer you a sample: this is from Chapter 4 as Shay tell her freinds a secret and gets a shock in return:

Judged By Your Peers: Chapter 4

… The evening moved on as the kids ran riot round the house, constantly trying get their hands on some booze, till Abi eventually lost her temper with them and…

Showcase – Seven Indie Books by Seven Indie Authors. Charlie, from INDIETRIBE, has featured Freelance Writing Guide on his website. Thank you, Charlie! I hope you all will take a look by clicking the link above. That’s all for now. Have a great evening!

(Originally posted on…

Because I know you've been sitting on the edge of your seat for a week, here's the second part to help those who are planning to attend writing conferences in the future and want to be on a panel.

6. Depart from Your Script. You want to be prepared, but realize that the best panels take on a life of their own. Your notes and any questions you may have been sent ahead of time…

Write  A Poem

Reach up and touch the sky and run delicate fingers through the stars

Watch as the world around you disappears

Look back and see through eyes from afar.

See busy streets and towns run around

The lives moving like insect drones in motion

Look and see you…

So, I have a book, and it's done. I'm going to self-publish. Definitely I'll do the ebook. Be fool if I didn't. But I like physical books, so I'm going to do POD for that through createspace.com. I've got a cover and spine and back. But I'm missing that blurb that goes on the back. That piece that's supposed to tell a reader what the book is about, without giving away the whole story.

And that's where I'm stuck at.

I think I'd rather write another book instead of writing a back…

The day after my last post, which was about how I hadn’t worked on my manuscripts in a few months, I resumed working on my work-in-progress: Chronicles of a Troubled Girl. I wrote for one to two hours a day most days, and I’m happy to say that I finished the first draft the other day! It feels great to have completed the writing part of the book project.

The next step is to edit. Since it is a compilation of my journal entries from childhood to adulthood, and I want the book…

I've started a second blog!

Wenches of Words is a blog devoted to promoting my authors group which offers every genre you can imagine...



Join us for a peek at our novels, short stories, excerpts, interviews, and musings.…

I stayed up late the other night to watch American Horror Story. I shouldn't have, really. I've been setting aside late nights as writing time. My…

I tend to be a lousy blogger, but that's usually because I forget to keep the information up to date. Something like this may be good for me becuase there's always some sort of notice coming in that reminds me its there.

Short version: I'm a teacher, writer, reader, Star Wars geek, gamer, and Christian, not necessarily in that order.

I've taught both biology and chemistry, though currently, I'm trying to get the formal certification for chemistry because my license says…

Suspense is important in any genre.  In a thriller, it is critical.  It makes the difference between a good read and a great read.  It keeps us up nights and it leads reviewers to those coveted phrases like, "a heart-stopping page-turner!" and "an action-packed thrill ride!" 



But how do you incorporate suspense?  How do you bring your novel from good to great?  How do you keep us turning those pages, and invite the clichéd reviews you so desperately crave?…