Engaging descriptions readers won’t just skim

In my post about setting, many of you commented that you don’t feel comfortable writing about setting and that setting descriptions are what you’re most likely to skim when reading.Why...

Read More

Plug and unplug

If you're in the Philly area this weekend, there's an interesting FREE symposium going on you might want to check out, especially if you're a foodie, a "locavore" or philosophically-minded.The...

Read More

Settings find us*

Not long ago I had a nice IM chat with a friend my husband and I visited in England in 2006, when I was in the early stages of drafting Bring to Light. It got me thinking about...

Read More

Another microfiction challenge winner!

Congrats to Carrie at Heim Binas Fiction for having her Twitter microficiton piece published in the e-zine Thaumatrope. And she got paid, too! Go swing on by HERE to cheer her...

Read More

Will write for prizes

Great minds think alike? Sarah at Fallen Formulates Fiction is also holding a writing contest to celebrate hitting a followers milestone. Choose from a list of six writing prompts,...

Read More

Spring Cleaning

There’s something about the warmth and bright sun that stirs my desire to tackle a messy corner of my house, especially one that isn’t functioning to its full potential. Sometimes...

Read More

Proof that truth is stranger than fiction

Ready for a dose or reality, my friends? Here are the answers to yesterday's "guess the truth from the lies" game I posted yesterday. I many of you will be surprised.I'm going...

Read More

Fictional fun (in which I tell many lovely lies)

Thanks to Crystal at Write Because You Must for granting me the "Creative Writer" award. Boy, oh, boy, have I ever been jonesing this one--it comes with the stipulation I share...

Read More

Antagonists of many flavors

We hear again and again that without conflict, you have no story. So what kind of conflict should you have? How will it arise? One obvious way is to toss in a bad guy and mean...

Read More

Prolific

Many thanks to Jen Daiker of unedited for passing along the Prolific Blogger award to me.The award is described thusly:"A Prolific Blogger is one who is intellectually productive...keeping...

Read More

Spotlight on Microfiction

What the heck is "microfiction"? You might well ask. It's a term that encompasses several forms of very, very short stories with low word counts and high impact.Many of you, dear...

Read More

We have a winner!

Just moments ago, my hobbit assistant drew the name of my Eleventy-one Followers Celebration prize drawing.And the winner is...(drumroll please)...Abby Annis!visit her blog here.Congratulations,...

Read More

Negotiation: another approach to conflict

You might well wonder what I mean by "negotiation." I get the term from Sandra Scofield's The Scene Book. She calls it "another approach to conflict" and describes it as "an exchange...

Read More

Seeds of Book Love*

True confessions: as a kid, I was a bit of a rebel when it came to reading. I come from a family of anti-sports book lovers. Our coffee table was always piled high with magazines....

Read More

Subplot sputter-out

My library haul this past week was eye-opening. Two of the four books had amazing voice, but the plots fizzled, in part because of subplot sputter-out. I've seen this ailment...

Read More

That's the way I like it

Why is it I had the overwhelming urge to add (uh-huh, uh-huh) to that title? Probably my 70s childhood. And my daughter's strange love for disco. And my hubby's favorite prank,...

Read More

Revising for emotion *

In writing early drafts, even plodders tend to skim the emotional surface of their scenes. One's initial focus is on pushing the plot forward and grasping the first burst of emotional...

Read More

Announcing the Eleventy-one Celebration (and contest)

Yes indeed, the happy day has arrived! It's time for my Eleventy-one Celebration in honor of making 111 blog friends. I couldn't have asked for better timing than 3.3 to announce...

Read More

An Embarrassment of Riches

I'm thankful to be the recipient of so much blog love lately. It's rather overwhelming, really. Here are some of the kind surprises I've received.I received the Sugar Doll Award...

Read More