writing
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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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Just a little Tuesday Tip: Creating is the best
We all spin our tires. We all get bogged down with fear or rejection or the “reality” of what it means to pursue a creative career. It can be nasty. It can be incredibly discouraging when you look at the big picture, when you have 385 pages to edit. When you are just punching out 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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Writing again!
Last spring I was unstoppable. I wrote “Summer’s Circle” in a month and was well underway with a second novel when bad news came along and.. stopped me. Since then I’ve been puttering around. Editing a little. Writing a few lines here and there. I managed to string together my first short story in years. 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
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Portrait of the Artist as a (very) Young woman
My parents are moving out of the home I grew up in. That means that I am acquiring many childhood artifacts that I am not ready to throw away.My dollhouse, my art portfolio from high school have now been crammed into my basement and I get to pick over a stash of excellent books. I Read more
LC W. Allingham 