Category: How To and Tips
Dealing With Serous Issues with Humor and Wit
A couple of years ago, I was pitching my first novel, WOLF (KAOS press June 2016), in New York City, and when I told a group of young women authors about the subplot and themes of date rape, party rape, and rape drugs, and I said it was a humorous mystery, some of them were […]
How a Smartphone Camera Can Jumpstart Your Writing
Both the camera and creative writing offer us a lens into our humanity. Every story is a snapshot of a time, place or person, and every photo has a story to tell. For me, photography and writing have always gone hand in hand. They are the push and pull of my daily routine, the way I […]
When To Call It Quits
Starting a fresh manuscript is always an exciting thing for me. The possibility of the blank page. An idea that makes my heart beat faster. Characters chattering away in my head, telling me their stories. Those are the moments I want to hole myself up in a cabin in the woods, just me and my […]
Writing About Online Bullying
In the summer of 2014, I was equally deep into freelance writing as mothering. This meant that my days started at the crack of dawn, coffee in hand, typing fingers at the ready. I kept my stature as still and as quiet as possible, not out of pristine habits, but out of fear of waking […]
Don’t Kill Your Darlings, Set Them Free
For writers, often the most frightening advice we receive is to “kill our darlings”¾to cut loose those Hope diamonds that, while gorgeous, are sinking the boat we’re trying to steer to shore¾the beautiful opening sentence that doesn’t tie in whatsoever with the opening paragraph (or the rest of the story), the intense supporting character who […]
How To Use Pinterest As A Writing Tool
At first blush, it may seem a little odd to consider a pictorial social media site like Pinterest a valid writing tool. After all, most users pin things like home decorating ideas, crafts, recipes, and vacation wish lists. But as an author, I also find it to be an invaluable research tool for characters, setting, […]
Look Away. You Don’t Want to See This.
He narrowed his eyes…with downcast eyes…her eyes darted to the window…she found him with her eyes…her eyes glistened with unshed tears…he blinked in surprise…she stared in amazement…he focused on the ground. Do you see the theme? These phrases are only a handful of the many I found in the rough draft of my work in […]
5 Crime Fiction Blunders To Avoid
In addition to being an author, I am a big crime fiction, psychological thriller and mystery fan. Though I have always read this genre, I’ve spent the last year absolutely immersing myself in it, reading and reviewing everything I can. In addition, I’ve been discussing the genre with lots of other fans as part of […]
Historical fiction – Modern Themes
I like to think of my books as offering intelligent escapism. While I write about past times I try to do so in a way that people today can identify with – posing the kinds of dilemmas and problems, challenges and triumphs that are relevant today – even though the way we respond to them […]
The Baker’s Dozen—13 Lessons I Learned in the Kitchen that Made Me a Better Writer
I have been writing fiction for about seven years, but I have been baking twenty-three years, and almost everything I needed to know about writing I learned in the kitchen. Mise en Place— This is a French cooking term that means to put everything in its place. It’s the practice of measuring out all of […]
Recent Comments