I was reading a cute romance novel published by Amazon when I came across a paragraph that took me by surprise. The confusing sentence structure made me stop and reread. Then I figured it out, chuckled, and moved on. The second time it happened I didn’t laugh. The third time it happened I was pretty annoyed. When authors write in …
Spring is here with gorgeous flowers and trees budding with vibrant color. Life is happening all around us—a beautiful example of change. Weather varies from day to day. Relationships grow and fade. Companies expand and contract. No matter where you are, change is there. And yet I resist change. I like my habits, my routines. Getting up at the same time …
The world seems to be falling apart and not slowly. It’s easy to give in to fear. Every day the news reports another catastrophe. Did you know the word catastrophe means “a turning point”? It was used in drama (in winding up the plot) to show a “reversal of what was expected. Writers have the power to change their audience’s perspective. So …
How are you spending your days? Has your couch become your new bed and your TV your best friend? Are you meditating, doing yoga, taking walks in nature? There’s nothing wrong with TV; I love good movies and comedy. But writers need inspiration and stimulation. So how are you being creative? The WFWA (Women’s Fiction Writers Association) recently organized a …
It’s the beginning of a new year—a new DECADE—a time to venture forth with your dream, to take action, to follow through on a plan for a great achievement.I love it when a plan comes together. I’m a meticulous detail-oriented person who thrives on schedules and checking off the boxes. My new book about healing the heart of the planet, …
Do you have an idea for a book? Have you started writing? Is everything flowing like an ocean current or is there a dam or roadblock? Writers get stuck. Even ones who have written for years. You’ve heard about speakers having stage fright. Well, writers get writer’s block. Sometimes it happens occasionally. You’re not quite sure how the scene …
When I first started writing, my characters “went through the motions” of the story. The heroines dressed well, wore gorgeous clothes, and attracted handsome, well-dressed heroes. The heroes undertook grueling adventures where they encountered obstacle after obstacle, and always saved the heroine in the end. All stories have to end with HEA (Happily Ever After), of course. But despite the …
What your characters do is central to the story. The plot revolves around them and their emotions, their insights, their successes and failures. So their occupations are important. But how you feel about their occupations may be even more important. When I started to write Bella Toscana, Toscana had a store where she sold Italian things, as well as her …
