Wanted to pass along a great resource from a former editor of Writers Digest, Maria Schneider: 7 Free Resources Every Writer Needs The Web is abundant with free guides, resources and, of course, advice for writers. The fact is, there’s so much out there that it’s...
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,...
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...
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...
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...
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,...
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.
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.