Want some inspiration on how to turn an old shed into a cozy writers cottage?
A home office, a “she-shed,” a man-cave, a reading nook… Whatever you want to call it, here’s how I fixed up the old shed in my backyard as a retreat for my writing.
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Let’s talk about how to kill characters in your novel.
George R.R. Martin may be the most infamous for annihilating his beloved characters, without mercy, forewarning, or apology, but let’s face it: in our twisted little hearts, we love to mourn the tragedy of a good fictional death.
And writing them?
Even better.
Did I just cackle maniacally? Sorry about that.
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Writers are not immune to falling for someone’s lies. We’re as gullible as the next guy, and believing an untruth can really hold us back in our creative endeavors. After all, us authors are the Kings and Queens of Procrastination. Give us a reason, a worry, a niggling nag to keep us up at night, and we’ll put off writing that Next American Novel until the cows come home. So …
What are the lies you might believe?
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Since this blog is a bit about writing and a bit about homeschooling (and maybe some rantings if I’m feeling saucy), I thought today we’d combine the two.
Because there have to be more than one of us who are nutty enough to try to do both at one time, right?
Homeschooling and writing … never the twain shall meet. Or shall they? Well, of course they shall.
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Ghostwriting for someone (or several someones) is legit gig, if you can get it. But do you even want it?
Some people are weirded out by the whole idea, and you may be one of them. Answering some basic questions about the whole process should help you decide which side of the fence you’re on. After that, we will look more closely things you can do to start landing ghostwriting jobs.
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You’ve done it. You’ve given birth, essentially, to a two-pound, emotion-ridden, baby book. It took years from start to finish to create this little guy; years of blood, sweat, and tears.
So many tears.
From the ground up, you built a world, breathed life into it, filled it with characters, laughter, death, adventure, and love. From the depths of your soul and your heart and your mind, you created something.
And now, in their free time, after spending an hour or two with it, someone rips it to shreds.
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You can’t judge a book by its cover.
~ someone less judgy than I.
Well, we can and we do judge books by their covers. Cover art is so important. Just like we eat with our eyes first, we get immersed in a story with our eyes first as well.
At least, most of the time anyway. The only time I don’t pay any attention to the cover on a book is when it’s an author I know darn well I adore. Even then, if the cover is bad, I tend to cringe before cracking it open.
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Getting inspired with a plot is wonderful, outlining is fun, beginning is exciting, but one thing that’s important to know before you get too far into the writing process is how long should your novel be? While of course some rules are just begging to be broken, you might find these guidelines helpful to know.
Let’s break it down.
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Finding names for your cast of characters in your next novel can be daunting, fun, challenging, a joy, and a mess.
Thank the writing gods for the ol’ find and replace button on Word, can I get an amen? Can’t tell you how many times I changed my mind midway through a novel concerning a character’s moniker.
How do you turn a groan-inducing chore into a fun treasure hunt? Here are a few ideas when all your frazzled imagination can come up with is yet another John or Sara. Read more
Having your novel chosen by a book club is a novelist’s dream.
Think of the conversations it will start concerning your carefully placed words, how many paperback copies will be purchased, how it will be passed around the group, dog-eared, and debated.
You simply cannot buy that kind of dedicated audience.
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