As writers, we tend to be solitary creatures. It’s the nature of our work. Sitting in the dark pounding away at a keyboard for hours upon hours doesn’t really lend itself to rich and varied social life. Add the fact that most ‘normal’ people don’t want to hear how our characters hijacked our story yet again, and it looks like… (more…)
Whether you’re a plotter or a pantser, if you’re going to write a book–and want it to make sense–you’re going to have to do some planning at some point. It’s a given that plotters will do the bulk of their planning before ever putting fingertips to keyboard to write their first draft, but what about those of us who just… (more…)
I brought it on myself really. There’s no denying it. After all, I’m the one who chose the number for the latest writing challenge sent out by Danni… how was I to know that it would turn out to be so, well, challenging? Here’s what I apparently chose: “A Twist of Truth” Tell us a story from your past. THE… (more…)
This has really just been One Of Those Weeks so rather than posting on a single topic, I’m giving you all a whole bunch of topics. Aren’t you lucky? And now, in no particular order: Standing Up For Yourself I haven’t always had the greatest track record in this area. Most days I’d rather let something slide than risk conflict… (more…)
The Corps is Mother, the Corps is Father… wait, no, that’s the Psi Corps. Totally different. About a month ago, I mentioned having an interview for a paid work training program in this post. That program is Alberta Job Corps, and as you can probably guess, I got in. I started work on Friday the 13th, which is ironic because… (more…)
There’s something amazing that happens when you join a good critique group. You begin to develop a keen sense of what is and what isn’t good writing. This can be a mixed blessing as it means never being able to read (or in some cases watch TV) for pleasure without critiquing ever again, but the impact on your writing is well… (more…)
I learned two important things today: 1) I don’t feel like I’ve truly visited a city until I’ve taken public transit there and 2) I’m an urban creature with no love for suburbia. I am now, and suspect that I will always be, a transit junkie. Not only am I dependant on public transit to get around my own city,… (more…)
I glared at the computer screen, arms crossed. I was hurt. Angry. I could feel the tension in my clenched teeth and in the muscles across my shoulders and neck. I was in a terrible mood, and all because my characters had a lovers’ quarrel. What a way to start the morning. As writers, it’s common for us to feel… (more…)
The other day I was working on some rewrites, and found myself giggling at the irony of a character dismissing as irrelevant a piece of information that would later become very important. Then it occurred to me: the only reason I find this ironic is because I know how important it will be. To a brand new reader, this is… (more…)