So, you may have read in a previous post that I finished a first draft of a novel. After I typed THE END, I had a glass of wine and then I shoved the book into the proverbial drawer, meaning I closed my computer file and pinky-swore, with myself, not to open it for 2-4 […]
Writing and Editing
My Book, My Baby
I’ve often heard writers refer to their books as their babies. I used to think that was just a wee bit precious, until I had a couple babies…and wrote a couple books. I wrote “Happy, Indiana” in just over 9 months (Coincidence??? Uh, yeah, actually) but I planned the book, reading background materials and meticulously […]
Write More, Write Better: The Writing Resolution to End All Writing Resolutions!
My birthday is on New Year’s Eve, and oh boy, there’s a lot of pressure there, double the pressure I might say, to examine a whole year’s worth of accomplishments and shortcomings and look onward with either the rosy glasses of optimism or the very, very dark glasses of pessimism, depending on how many champagne […]
Selfie Finishing a Novel
Why don’t more writers take selfies? Ah, because this is what we look like. You’ll only see writer-selfies at awards ceremonies. If I set my computer to take automatic pictures of me while I’m working, you would see a whole bunch of photos of me frowning at the screen. Sometimes, my brow might have a […]
Tell it to My Boss
I’ve just arrived in my writing closet. I’ve got a nice cup of coffee. I’ve pushed hubby’s shirts to the side to give me a little breathing room and positioned my laptop in the center of the TV tray, which serves as my desk. This morning, I plan to add to the document titled “Freewrite-New Novel,” […]
Write Like a Mother
Ah, Mother’s Day Eve. Tomorrow, after the kids climb into my bed smiling those sweet little grins when they present me with a plate of French toast they helped prepare, I will hug them and thank them, and feel thankful for them, and then I will shoo them away for a few hours to work, likely some much […]
The Little Man Inside My Head
So, I’ve been having this problem with…um…with… (Hey! Is that a Chipping Sparrow at the birdfeeder?)…FOCUS. After a long (sometimes painful, sometimes exhilerating) struggle to complete my first novel, I’m ready to begin the next one. I have a bare-bones idea for the book, and I’ve been doing lots of background reading, but I […]
Writing by Walking Around
You’ve heard of Management By Walking Around, the MBWA? Today, I practiced the not as well known WBWA, Writing By Walking Around. No words were actually put on paper, but I considered it a good work day nonetheless. I spent a glorious two hours in the fiction stacks of my local library. I had no […]