Lather, Rinse, Repeat. It’s what writers do.
So, this summer I’ve somehow managed, amidst the chaos of having five kids around, to do quite a bit of writing. It’s a Summer Vacation Miracle!* I was thinking about patterns the other day, of how I work on stuff. Like, say this summer I’ve been a writing maniac, four pages a day on average, […]
Editing. It’s like Jenga.
I have a big problem with my current project. It’s not exactly writer’s block. It’s more like … editor’s block. And continuing on with the “block” terminology, it’s kind of like dominoes. Or JENGA. Remember Jenga? That game where you try to carefully remove a block from the stack without toppling the whole pile? I remember […]
A Starting Point for Character Creation
The other day I received one of those emails that just makes me smile. It was a request for advice. Made me feel so awesome to be asked for advice. My young friend, who is very artistic by nature and is in college asked, “I have a project that involves developing characters and such. I wonder […]
Prioritizing as a Writer (and as a Person)
I guess it finally hit that point because I woke up yesterday morning and thought, “We can’t live like this anymore.” The house was just…beyond. I guess it’s because I’ve been so focused on my WIP since my parents left (in March!) that I haven’t really looked around and seen the scary levels things had […]
Malibu Chicken at The Sizzler as a Novel Plotting Device
I think it’s time to repost this blog I wrote for Chistopher Loke, the executive editor of my publishing company, last summer. (He assigned the topic, admittedly, as a bit of a joke, but I didn’t know that at the time.) I can’t stop thinking about Malibu Chicken, and it seems maybe it’s a sign. […]
Tips on WorldBuilding from Fantasy Author Terron James
Hey! Exciting day! My good friend Terron James’s book release for his first book INSIGHT is today! Woo hoo! You should see the cover of this baby. It’s truly beautiful and the writing inside is as well. I just read INSIGHT this week. It’s a high fantasy, and it’s 400 pages of awesomeness, the first […]
Comma Math
First, an announcement. For the next couple of days, BIG IN JAPAN will be on SALE on Amazon and Kindle – $2.99 for the e-book version. That’s $26 off the hardcover list price. Bargain for your beach read, and it IS a great beach read, if I do say so myself. Here’s the link for […]
A Mom’s Throwdown Over Throw Pillows
After all these years sitting in living rooms, it finally occurred to me this morning why they’re called “throw pillows.” It’s because every single time a child encounters one, he or she feels an uncontrollable urge to throw them on the floor. Why is this? Why is it that every time I go into my […]
Things I Paid my Daughter $1 to Do
Today my 10 year-old asked me if she could save up and buy a kiddie pool to put in the back yard. My mommy mercenary ears went a-buzzing! Cheap labor! A way out of doing housework chores I have been dreading! Yeah! “Sure, sweetheart. Do you want to start today?” “Do you mean ‘money jobs’?” […]
Should I Get an Agent? Take this Quiz!
Do you need an agent? Well, it depends on what your publishing goals are. Take this little test. I get asked this question all the time by writing friends who are getting ready to publish. It’s a good question. Literary agents are one of those publishing business mysteries. These eight questions might help you determine […]
