As someone with the “gift” of gab, telling stories has never been a struggle for me. Fantasies fight for prominence in my dreams. Ideas wake me from sleep in the dead of night, demand my attention while I drive through town on errands, interrupt my words when I am in … Read More
One of the enjoyable aspects about writing is that it is a lifelong endeavor; there is always more to learn, and sometimes insights come unexpectedly and from unusual quarters. When it comes to the process of writing a story, I lean more towards being a “pantser” than a “plotter.” Once … Read More
Though it seems less true nowadays, I’ve discovered, agents favor writers who are published—and publishers like writers who have an agent. So where do you start? I’m told writers conferences are a good way to make an impression on an agent and get them to look at your work. However, in … Read More
What do you do when you cannot “see” a character you are writing? As writers, we all have our strengths and weaknesses. I hear characters. Dialogue comes naturally to me, but to see a setting or character, I need tools to help me. Drawing on the traditions of newspaper morgues … Read More