She is too fond of books, and it has turned her brain.—Louisa May Alcott First, thanks to K.M. for inviting me to be a guest at Wordplay. Romance University is in such fabulous company among Write to Done’s other Top 10 Blogs! We’re going to talk about something potentially painful today, so square your shoulders, puff […]
February 26, 2012 by 88 Comments Structuring Your NovelThe Secrets of Story Structure, Pt. 1: Why Should Authors Care?
What’s the single most overlooked, misunderstood—and yet most important—part of storytelling? If you cheated and looked at the title, you already know the answer is structure. Most uninitiated writers have two different reactions to the idea of story structure. Either they think it’s great, but too mystical and lofty to be understood by common mortals, […]
September 14, 2011 by 41 Comments Outlining Your NovelMisconceptions About Outlining Your Novel
Today, we’re continuing with our series of video/audio trailers, offering a sneak peek into the first chapter of Outlining Your Novel: Map Your Way to Success. We’re also continuing our month of prize giveaways, building up to the Grand Prize, worth over $400, on September 26th. Be sure to leave a comment on this post […]
September 7, 2011 by 49 Comments Outlining Your NovelShould You Outline Your Novel?
Today, I’m thrilled to continue announcing my new book Outlining Your Novel: Map Your Way to Success. The book, available September 26, 2011, features all kinds of tips on why outlining will make you a better writer, what kind of outline you should use, and how to put that outline to work to construct a […]
July 24, 2011 by 34 Comments Writing InspirationWhat The Story Knows Best Really Means
When writers start talking about the autonomy of their stories, non-writers are likely to give us looks that range from confused to concerned, especially when our comments include the following: “The story knows best.” Or— “Nothing was working for me until I quit fighting my story and let it do what it wanted.” Or— “I […]
May 15, 2011 by 62 Comments Writing LifeThe Secret Ingredient of Original Stories
With all the new books published in the last year alone, you kind of have to wonder if maybe everything there is to be said has already been said. With so many new books churning out every day, surely every idea has been done to death. What room is left for original stories? You may […]
May 1, 2011 by 48 Comments Writing InspirationUnderstanding—and Accepting—the Reasons You Write
What are the reasons you write? This is a favorite question in writing forums, polls, and interviews. Sooner or later, all writers must answer this question, either for themselves or some curious second party. It’s a simple enough question, but it can be surprisingly difficult to answer. Even after we’ve answered it, we sometimes find […]
February 13, 2011 by 38 Comments Writing Inspiration8 Signs You’re Stuck in a Writing Rut—and Why You Should Care
Laziness and fear—a writer’s two great nemeses—do their best to keep us stuck in the writing rut. Usually, it’s a very comfortable rut. All our characters are down there with us, keeping us company, cooking up tea, playing chess, and just generally having a happy ol’ time. Life isn’t very difficult, since we never have […]
November 5, 2010 by 13 Comments Writing Inspiration5 Ways to Seek Multi-Media Inspiration for Your Writing
We live in a world saturated with artistic creativity. For writers, this means inspiration is all over the place. All you have to do is open a magazine, read a book, turn on the television, or switch to a new radio station. In my book Conquering Writer’s Block and Summoning Inspiration, I specifically touch upon how […]
October 28, 2010 by 15 Comments Writing Inspiration13 Places to Find Inspiration
Today, I’m honored to be hosted on the Conquering Writer’s Block & Summoning Inspiration blog tour by Matt Delman. Be sure to stop by his blog to read the guest post “13 Places to Find Inspiration.” Below is a sneak peek: People are always asking writers where they get their ideas. My typically trite reply is, […]
