Tag Archives: Progress
Fix or scrap?
We writers are weird creatures. Anyone who knows us, or –God forbid– lives with us is fully aware of our little…err…quirks. There is nothing like a tormented scream coming from the back bedroom at five to midnight. Most sane people … Continue reading
What’s that over there?
Distractions are the bane of my life.
Not just my writing life, but in general. It’s worse when I write, though.
Whether it’s surfing the net, or playing an online game (Bad me!), a good movie on TV, or a book I’m dying to read — it’s too easy to be distracted.
I am not the only one who has a problem staying focused, it’s a common affliction for those of us with the attention span of an average goldfish.
Kill ‘em all!
Every story needs some supporting characters, but if (like me) you find yourself having ten dozen of them… well.
Give ‘em the chop.
I’ve recently cut a supporting character out of a book. I didn’t want to. I like him. My readers liked him.
He had to go. He didn’t contribute anything. Originally he was the reason for discovery, he was a quirky kid who made the best of a bad situation.
Did I mention I really liked him?
Yeah.
I cut him dead, instead. Chopped him right out of the story and saved about 2k words, an entire chapter, and (hopefully) speeded up the pace.
Le Pitch
I will be pitching my novella tonight. Do I have jitters? Yeah. I’m nervous, and it’s not even close to the time to pitch. Seven hours to go, and my stomach is churning. I don’t know what to expect. I … Continue reading
Challenge yourself
Or get challenged by a friend. It doesn’t matter what form the challenge takes. It could be wordcount. It could be a scene. It could be dialogue. It could be character description. You name it, you can make a contest … Continue reading
