Without intending to, I’ve somehow become the Queen of Drabbles. Not to be confused with dribbles. Although Queen of Dribbles might be a more fitting moniker. Damn, everyone is a critic these days. In case you didn’t know (cough, I… Read More ›
Writers’ Tool Box
Tricks From the Writing Trade
How to Explore Character Dynamics
Are you plotting or writing a novel that’s giving you the shits? — Yes Do you have story pieces that just won’t come together no matter how hard you try jamming them? — Yes Are you ripping your hair out?… Read More ›
Editing: From Cold to Gold?
Editing… Some writers love to edit and others would rather be caught in a sewer. Guess which camp I’m in? And I’ve watched and read Stephen King’s “It”. Can’t say I can ever look at a drain the same way… Read More ›
5 Techniques for Novelists Struggling With Inspiration
Oh no, I let my story go cold! Sometimes that pesky thing called life creates obstacles and before we know it, our working novels feel like they are lost to brain purgatory. Never fear, below are five techniques you can… Read More ›
Writing Every Day for 3 Months…
I wrote every day for 3 months and here’s what I discovered… For three months I wrote every day on my novel. I finally got my act together after stalling for years. The process of writing wasn’t hard once my… Read More ›
Story Pieces, Plot Weaving, and a Slap Forehead Moment
Working on a novel is never easy. NEVER. Parts will trick you and come like a breeze. Maybe for some, it’s easier than others, but for most of us, there is a lot of head-banging. I’m surprised my walls aren’t… Read More ›
How To Develop Characters and Worldbuild: Free-Flow Writing, Interviews, Oracle Cards
The Snips (aka free-flow writing/stream of conscious writing) I started writing snips set in my novel world a few years back. Every main story player received a snip — a piece of free-flow writing written in the first person. My… Read More ›
Writer’s Block: Character Playlists
Somehow, I landed on another writing hiatus. Thanks life, much appreciated. The clouds of life eventually cleared and the will to be creative returned. However, The Muse did not. She didn’t get the memo. Revisiting the story world… cold. Re-reading… Read More ›
Hyphens, En Dash, Em Dash — Oh My!
Hyphen, en dash and em dash — oh my! I mentioned these to my writing group over the weekend and was surprised no one was the full bottle. I shouldn’t have been surprised because I only investigated dashes a couple… Read More ›
Story Basics 101: Show Don’t Tell
The golden writing rule ‘show, don’t tell’ is etched in every writer’s mind, and if you’re new to the wonderful world of writing, it will become ingrained. Pretty much all of us start out writing as ‘telling’ stories rather than… Read More ›
Story Basics 101: Passive Writing vs Active Writing
Introduction Often I read stories written by aspiring writers — the plot is great, characters are relatable, the message is powerful… but the narration is weak. Passive writing strikes again. The notion of active writing vs passive writing is a… Read More ›
Story Basics 101: The Third Person
Introduction The third person is the stock standard perspective for fiction writing. Traditionally, most novels were written in the third person and the trend continues today. It should be noted, in modern times, the first-person narrative is growing in popularity,… Read More ›
THE WRITING ASYLUM 