Category: writing

  • Do Authors Read Their Own Stuff?

    I’ve been working on a project that involves writing short stories based on my published books. Some were completed years ago, and I needed to read them again to reacquaint myself with the plot and characters. Now, I’ve reread my books many times—correcting, editing, and making other changes. What I haven’t really done was approach…

  • Welcome 2021!

    It’s not often I crave to see the backside of a calendar year, but between Covid-19, political hijinks, and personal issues, 2020 was something of a dumpster fire. Good thing the pandemic kept me in the house, or I might have been tempted to run into the street screaming. Oh, be honest – many of…

  • You might want to look that one up!

    Everyone has a slip of the pen (or word processor) from time to time, and we’ve all seen them. Read enough books and you’ll discover weird or wrong word choices, misspellings, or zany phrases. Some of them are caused by upbringing—because mom and dad always said it that way, so it’s assumed everyone says it…

  • I needed to hear that!

    I’ve spent the last month+ going over my first Gladstone Shifters novel with a fine tooth comb. The book was published over two years ago and I’ve learned a great deal since then. A number of issues needed attention, including a re-arrangement of the opening chapters, a thorough search for crutch words, and the correction…

  • My 2020 Publishing Anniversary – Three Years and Counting

    It’s time to celebrate! Somehow, another year has come and gone and I’m still doing what I love. Despite personal setbacks, financial concerns, and the pandemic, the last twelve months have been fruitful ones. Three books published, for a total of nine Added a new genre (fantasy) More interaction with readers New author biography Improved…

  • When Something’s Gotta Give

    I’m stepping back from a weekly blog post. I have a self-imposed deadline with my current WIP and need every spare minute to reach it. This hiatus may extend even longer, since I seem to have so little free time to do what I love – write. Let’s face it – I don’t have much…

  • Me or Thee – For Whom Do I Write?

    Do I write for myself or my readers? There’s only one answer – both, yet it’s a balancing act affected by a number of ever-changing variables. If I only write what my readers want, I run the risk of stifled creativity, boredom, and resentment. Eventually, the personal sacrifices necessary to write in the first place…

  • Go ahead – brighten my day!

    I ran across an older post by Susan M. Toy entitled “How YOU can invest in authors and books… without spending any money!” In it, she lists ten ways to help, including borrow and read their books, tell your friends, talk about them in your own blog, and my favorite – contact them personally. “Contact…

  • Tripped up – A pantser’s confession

    Yes, I’m one of those. Despite the fact that I tend to be very organized, thrive on consistency, and pride myself on never being late, it’s not the way I write. Usually, things move along swimmingly with only minor hiccups and the pantser’s life serves me well. Once in a while I end up being…

  • What to do before starting your next WIP

    Your latest book is hot off the press. Now what? Suddenly finding yourself with unstructured free time can be downright scary. After all, you’ve become accustomed to that persistent little writer voice in your head demanding that you write, Write, WRITE for months on end. Of course you have another book, story, or project to…

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