Writing related topics.
Music is an important part of our existence from the time we were in our mother’s womb listening to her heart beat through the many decades of artistic music exposure. The right song contains enough sentimental value to make us laugh, cry, or just give us an overall sense of nostalgia. While some of us…
“If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that.” ~ Stephen King I begin with those words as a reminder that if we want to be serious writers, we must first be serious readers. Reading Methods There is reading for enjoyment, reading for analytical…
The Pros and Cons of Traditional vs. Self-Publishing The Process Time: Traditional publishing is not called traditional because they are old fogies. Traditional publishing is basically “always been done this way.” In other words, an author writes; an illustrator draws; an editor and an art director suggest revisions (often several times); a copy editor proofs…
Your characters remember their birthdays and when they faced all those conflicts you created. Your readers also remember and will spot any error or inconsistency in your story’s calendar of events. How to Remember Your Story Timeline. Aeon Timeline ($40 for Mac from Scribble Code) helps you plan and keep track of everything. A version…
A Procrastinating Meme for Bloggers I have not met a person who does not procrastinate in some way or at some time. What makes it unique is that we have our own ways of doing it. This meme has nothing to do with the topic of procrastination so much as it has to do with…
Towards the end of a ten-week screenwriting class in New York City, a classmate told me she liked my work and that she wanted to propose a collaboration on a screenplay with me. She was a student at one of the top acting programs in the nation and she had dreams of one day producing…
“My parents were visiting.” “My kids had friends over.” “We were hiking.” “I had a beach romance.” “It was too hot.” “It was time to pick the tomatoes.” All year we long for summer, when schedules ease and sunshine lasts well into evening. However, when summer comes, too often our writing gets put off until…
One of my goals when we moved to Ireland was learning to write. To actually complete a manuscript from start to finish. I came to the right place. The one thing this country does is promote the arts. Writers and writing are everywhere. In fact, up until very recently, writers did not have to pay…