In today’s discussion about one of the many tools available to writers, I’m lucky to have author Janine Spendlove joining me. When I reached the end of her novel War of Seasons: Book One: The Human, I found her playlist. This is a tool that has been indispensable to me on my journey to completing […]
Sitting atop my blog to-do list were three items: a major revision to my query letter, a post on character agency, and promote my novel Wynde. The query letter revisions resulted in much blank staring at the screen, while character agency and the newly finished manuscript for Wynde dominate my thoughts. Agency was never far […]
After anticipating putting the pen down on the manuscript several times earlier this year, a few brainstorms ensued during edits. Rewrites happened. Finally the Pen Down moment arrived in the wee hours of last weekend, and the book is done. The rewrites were small, but they were all significant. For instance, the opening scene jumps […]
I thought I’d take a minute to update everyone on the status of my novel Wynde. Despite George Lucas’ best efforts to distract me – retiring and selling Star Wars in the middle of my sprint? – I’ve kept up a consistent writing pace. While screenwriting isn’t the same as novel writing, many of the […]
Watching Brave in the movie theater, I tried to keep a blogger’s keen eye on the story. At one point, though, I became totally captivated, lost in the moment of Merida galloping her black steed Angus through the forest. I found myself transported to another world because the scene created a very real and emotional […]
I knew March would be madness with Fate of the Jedi: Apocalypse and The Hunger Games – stories with great female heroines like Jaina, Tahiri, and Katniss. In the meantime I’ve been writing away on Wynde, working with my heroine in that book and playing with some storytelling ideas to help draw the reader into […]
My post today at FANgirl Blog discusses some of the inspiration for themes and storylines in Wynde. Head on over there and check it out: Everyday Heroes – Muses, Passion Projects, and Changing the Status Quo
In my first entry to Shaping a Heroine, a series of blogs discussing the design of my novel’s heroine, Vespa Wynde, I talked about her father. Daemyn Wynde had always been easily identifiable in my mind as an amalgamation of Duke basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski and NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt. When I tried to identify […]
The more I write, the more I’ve come to the determination that writers really do write what they know, and if you really want to know who you are, it’s as simple as looking back at what you’ve written. Ultimately that requires being critical of your flaws and weaknesses. And it’s true, self-awareness can be […]
A couple of weeks ago, I began to worry about the writing on my novel slowing down. As I’ve mentioned before, it ebbs and flows. A few months back, I had felt like I was writing at the speed of a car perpetually stuck in second gear – until I realized I was slowing down […]
