I’m a pantser when it comes to writing my stories. That is I just write them and figure out all the plot points and such after the fact. This works fairly well for me as my subconscious is much better at storytelling than my conscious mind. Most of the time it works out great. Every … Read more
It’s almost November. Just a few short days and then… The writing happens *cue spooky music* National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) is, for some like me, a sacred holiday. For one month – 30 days – I put writing first. It’s all about getting the new words on the page. It’s about letting my ideas … Read more
I have this cycle that I go through, I’m sure many of you will recognize it. I’m not sure where the cycle starts or ends, but it goes something like this. “I’m too busy, I never have time for myself.” So I look at all the things I’m doing and cut some of them out. … Read more
It’s getting to be too common these days for the news to erupt with the latest officer involved shooting. Two days in a row this week. Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge, Louisiana on Tuesday, July 5th and Philando Castile in Falcon Heights, Minnesota on Wednesday July 6th. Then, because things weren’t bad enough, Micah Xavier … Read more
Vampires are a popular subject these days. There are a million different versions from Bram Stoker’s Dracula to Anne Rice’s angst ridden vampires. You have everything from Buffy the Vampire Slayer to Twilight to True Blood. All of them different. There are vampires for every taste these days from sexy to scary and even sparkly … Read more
Part of world building is creating culture. Your people have to have a culture unique to their place in their world. Even if you are writing in modern America, it’s important to notice the influence of culture on the choices and assumptions that your characters make. However, since culture is a huge subject that spans … Read more