It’s National Novel Writing Month and writer’s block is a pretty major issue for a lot of wrimos out there. Me included. Yes, my word is pretty well on track and I’ve even managed to stay ahead of the daily total goal, but that doesn’t mean it’s been easy. It’s an uphill battle, every step […]
Why My Characters Don’t Live in Colorado
Setting was never a difficult choice for me. I have always loved New York, and it made sense for many of my young, upwardly mobile characters to live in “the city where dreams come true.” Clichéd as it may be, I always liked that idea. Colorado Dreamer However, I also like the idea of a […]
Writing Pet Peeves Part 2: Style
A few weeks ago, I wrote a post about grammar pet peeves. Worse for me, I think, are style pet peeves. I’m hard to please. I’m a philosophy major and a literature buff, so writing style in anything I read, fiction or nonfiction, matters. I am not adamant about some errant grammar choices, but for […]
Why My Characters Are Hockey Fans
Short answer: Because I’m a hockey fan! Long answer: I like to add a little everyday culture into my books. My characters read books, they watch movies, and they follow sports, just like a lot of other people do. These types of things help give characters a little personality, a little backstory, and they are […]
The NaNo Variable
It’s that time of year. No, not autumn. Not Halloween. Not the holidays. No, the time of year when I will once again be participating in National Novel Writing Month, aka NaNoWriMo. It’s going to be a tough year with all the balls I have in the air right now. For one, I am currently […]
Grammar Pet Peeves and Exceptions to the Rules
When it comes to grammar, I’m not quite as nit-picky as I am about spelling. Homonyms: it’s important to get those straight. Syntax is important because it can change the meaning of the sentence if the words are out of order. But I will end a sentence with a preposition. I will use “who” instead […]
How Buffy the Vampire Slayer Helped My Writing
Lots of people might scoff at the idea of “watching” a story instead of “reading” a story for inspiration, but for visual learners like me, it’s a great option. I love television and film just as much as I love reading. And these days, you have to admit, there are just as many bad television […]
Work in Progress: How Writing Can Take Over Your Life
From what I’ve experienced and what I hear from other writers, writing is not always a choice–sometimes it’s a compulsion. Sometimes, the muse doesn’t just descend–sometimes she comes down and throws a tantrum until you do what she says. For me, writing is addictive. (Hence the reason I have so many blogs! Running tally: 4 […]
Genre Versus Characters: The Writing Process
Writing for a genre versus writing your characters are different processes. They require different approaches and organization, and the characters themselves will not be the same if they were written into two stories with the same plot–one written with the genre approach and the other with the character (development) approach. A story based around the […]
All About The Setting
Most of my stories take place in big cities, LA, New York, sometimes Chicago or Miami. But the star is the Big Apple, where the majorities of the stories I’ve written (and probably have yet to write) take place. One of the reasons I like to use New York instead of a town I’m more […]
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