by valeriedavisson | Apr 30, 2016 | Writing Process
Where do you try out your ideas? Authors don’t just start writing on Monday, and a few months later type The End! Long before they fire up the old computer, or pull out that yellow, lined pad to write Chapter One, and all along the way, they’re testing ideas,...
by valeriedavisson | Apr 16, 2016 | Writing Process
HOW MANY SUBPLOTS SHOULD YOU WEAVE INTO YOUR STORY? The short answer is only add as many as you need to move the story along, and give it depth and interest. Easier said than done for the beginning novelist. Here are my Top 3 Tips for not just how many, but what kind...
by valeriedavisson | Apr 15, 2016 | Writing Process
Few characters arrive whole, but Iona Slatterly, like Aphrodite rising from the ocean foam, came fully formed. Inspired by a tiny woman I saw from across the room while serving jury duty years ago, Iona isn’t hard to spot. I never got to talk with the woman, but...
by valeriedavisson | Apr 15, 2016 | Writing Process
WHO’S YOUR FAVORITE KILLER? Fictional, of course. I don’t like one-dimensional bad guys, and I find psychopathic serial killers boring. I mean, after Silence of the Lambs, Criminal Minds, Dexter, and every other thriller out there, we pretty much know...
by valeriedavisson | Mar 6, 2016 | Writing Process
HOW WONDERFUL CAN ONE MAN OR WOMAN BE? In most mysteries, no matter the sub-genre, there’s almost always a love interest, however fleeting, for the main character. What bothers me about a lot of love-interest characters is they can be cloyingly perfect. I mean,...
by valeriedavisson | Feb 27, 2016 | Interviews, Writing Process
NO SURPRISE…as a writer, I find it easier to interview others than to be interviewed myself. Maybe when I’m rich and famous it will become second nature, but for now, I much prefer asking the questions to answering them. First-time fiction writers quickly...
A self-admitted book addict, Valerie was the kid with the flashlight under her pillow. A life of travel with exposure to many different cultures led to a pervasive interest in people, with degrees & teaching credentials in Cultural Anthropology & English.