Welcome back to week 3 of the Writer in Motion event, in which a too-busy-by-choice author attempts to make sense of the ALL VIBES NO PLOT words that sprang from her own head... This week, the participants in the challenge were assigned a small critique partner group and exchanged stories. My CPs all brought their … Continue reading Writer in Motion 2021, Week 3: CP Edits
Month: July 2021
Write Deeper: Deep POV, Voice, and Emotion
"I just couldn't connect with your story": it's the death knell of any querying author's hopes and dreams. But what does that mean? How to create that elusive connection? It requires more than a compelling character or intriguing plot. It’s about the why of it all—the emotional core of the story. As with every post … Continue reading Write Deeper: Deep POV, Voice, and Emotion
Writer in Motion 2021, Week 2: Self-Edit
Welcome back to Week 2 of Writer In Motion! This week, participating writers self-edit the first draft posted last week. Next week, we'll work with critique partners to hone the story further before working with editors in Week 4. One of the goals this week for me was to cut words until the story met … Continue reading Writer in Motion 2021, Week 2: Self-Edit
Notes from My Debut Year
This year has been one hell of a ride. Three weeks from today, CAMBION’S LAW will be available for preorder. Three months after that, it will be out in the world. I did a little poll on Twitter and it seemed that quite a few people were interested in reading about how my debut year … Continue reading Notes from My Debut Year
WIM 2021: Unedited First Draft
Sometimes, writing inspiration seems to come through you in a near-revelatory process. But what happens when you finish transcribing, but you still don’t know exactly what the story is trying to say? I’m about to find out, because that’s exactly what has happened with this first stab at my Writer In Motion short. This story...whew. … Continue reading WIM 2021: Unedited First Draft
How to Grow a Sustainable Writing Habit
Writing a novel is a marathon, not a sprint. It demands sustained effort and motivation--even when the fickle muse has taken off for an extended vacation, the dishes need doing, and a thousand social media posts are vying for your limited attention. Not many of us have the privilege of writing full time, without distractions … Continue reading How to Grow a Sustainable Writing Habit
Writer In Motion 2021: The Prompt
IT HAS BEGUN. I'm so excited to get started with this year's Writer In Motion event! Writer in Motion 2020 spurred me to create this blog and was basically my introduction to the online writing community. I had so much fun participating and learned a ton from the process, even though I signed up too … Continue reading Writer In Motion 2021: The Prompt
The Joy of “Pantsing” It
Writing by "the seat of your pants" is out of fashion. But what if, for me, that's where the magic happens? By "pantsing," of course, I don't mean the juvenile prank of pulling down an unsuspecting victim's pants. I'm talking about the drafting style known more accurately as "discovery writing" or "intuitive writing," which is … Continue reading The Joy of “Pantsing” It