Process
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I am not a writer
I recently read This Great Article on John Steinbeck, and this quote stuck out to me. “I’m not a writer. I’ve been fooling myself and other people.” He scribbled it in his journal while he wrote The Grapes of Wrath. Pretty much one of the best books ever written. We haven’t touched on imposture syndrome Read more
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Research to compliment your story, not to be your story
So if you missed the news, I finished another first draft. Woo hoo! This one was a bit different than my previous projects because it was based on actual mythology and history. Research was necessary. Tons and tons of research. As far as this subject goes (and I don’t want to give away too much Read more
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Second Blogiversary!
Hard to believe it’s been two years since I finally decided I was going to do this. Looking back, I am amazed at what I’ve been able to accomplish in two years, even as I have so much I’m still striving toward. Pursuing writing is a challenging path and there have been plenty of times Read more
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Don’t try to write a perfect first draft
After I realized that what I first put on the page was not necessary my best writing (imagine my horror!) I concluded that I would save myself a lot of work and effort if I edited as I wrote. And so it took me more than five years to write a first draft. And it Read more
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If you love a character, break their nose
I recently read a great short story with a great premise and a great character and when I was done, I just wasn’t satisfied at all. Because, while the conflict was there, and it was pretty rough, things kinda just worked out for the character. She never had to take a hard stance. She never Read more
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Stuck plot? Drop a bomb
Apparently I’m not alone in running out of steam in the middle of a manuscript. I have been trying to force my way through a sticky patch somewhere in the middle for the last couple weeks and coming up with nothing, so I was reading a few articles last night that commiserated with my plight. Read more
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Grammar Shmammar
I’m not sure if you’ve noticed. My grammar isn’t perfect in my writing. Sometimes I use an apostrophe after a possessive “its” or (gasp) type out the dreaded “your” when I mean “you’re”. I also frequently confuse my laids and lays and lies. These kind of grammar mistakes used to keep me from sharing my Read more
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Tell me what is wrong.
When we writers start out, we really just want to hear how good we are. If we don’t hear it enough, sometimes we quit. If we don’t quit, then our mindset starts to shift. At some point, you’re going to love hearing that people love your story, but what you are going to be looking Read more
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Plot comes first
Writers are explorers. Explorers of the mind, explorers of the world, the universe, the alternate universes. Chasers of What ifs and How could this be. And it is really pretty excellent. But sometimes we get so lost in our explorations on paper, that we forget we are there to tell a story. Have you ever Read more
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The sequence of events
Today I woke up to a trail of trash running from my kitchen, through the dining room, across the living room, down the steps, through the family room and piled in a disgusting crescent around the unlocked crate of my dog, Verdi, who was peacefully sleeping off her night of binge eating. I latched her Read more
LC W. Allingham 