Diversity is a current buzz word in publishing. Publishers want books with diverse characters. In 2013, when I thought about writing the first book in my Dancing Through Life Series, Dancing on a High Wire, I envisioned the character of Esther being black and thereby providing diversity. However, following the adage, “write what you know,” […]
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Why can’t life be like writing? I’ve been asking myself this this week after a friend found a solution to a major problem in his manuscript by the addition of an introduction. I’ve also experienced this at times. I reread a manuscript, thinking I’ve got major editing to do, only to move a chapter here […]
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What do you do when God says, slow down? Do you argue? “But I’m too busy doing your work to slow down. How could you ask me to do this?” Do you bargain? “I’ll slow down as soon as I finish this project or this event.” Of course, there will always be another project or […]
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Have you ever dreamed that you opened up Microsoft Word and all of your documents were gone? That happened to me and it wasn’t a dream. It was a real-life writer’s nightmare. I didn’t panic because I knew I had backed up my files to an external hard drive recently. I had also saved my […]
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As part of NaNoWriMo this year, I spent five days writing at a friend’s house in Pentwater, Michigan. I find the change of space and place essential to clear my head and help me focus. After this time I can usually continue what I started with a renewed energy when I return home. While there […]
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NaNoWriMo 2018 is done. I now have 52,501 words as the basis for book eight of my Dancing through Life series. It’s a wonder to me that I made it, as ill-prepared as I was going into the month. There’s something about having a public goal and knowing so many other writers have that same […]
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It’s NaNoWriMo time! Time to sharpen those pencils if you are old-school, or prepare to hit that keyboard to write 50,000 words in one month. Earlier this week I wrote about the reasons why I love November in my post, Season of Gratitude. To those reasons I add NaNoWriMo – National Novel Writing Month. Past […]
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I’ve always been more of a pantser (writing by the seat of my pants) than a plotter when it comes to writing. I usually have a big picture in mind when I write, but how I get there is left to the imagination. When I’m in the midst of a fiction writing project, I love […]
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As the queen of goal setting, imagine my surprise when I went to look for my 2017 writing goals and didn’t find any! Yes, I had gone a whole year without having any goals written down. How had that happened? I really don’t know. I guess I was busy with other things and forgot. This […]
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Now doesn’t that sound more celebratory than a chicken dinner? That’s how we celebrate in my family! Steaks, preferably rare and cooked on a grill. On Wednesday at 5p.m. I entered the winner’s circle, having completed my 50,000 words for the NaNoWriMo challenge. The novel isn’t done yet. I have at least another 5,000 to […]
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