Just as every writer has a way to come up with ideas and put them on the page, there are writing gremlins that pop up with every draft they complete. Sometimes you recognize these gremlins on your own, or sometimes it has to be pointed out to you. This happened to me recently when I …
Welcome to the August 2021 roundup! Who else blinked and suddenly it was the end of August? I'm surprised it went so fast considering every day felt like Groundhog Day. Once again, it was spent in lockdown (#6 for those counting), which is still ongoing. I was also in hospital for some of the month, …
Not too long ago I received a notice from WordPress that I’d published my 200th blog post. In case you’re wondering, that post was the 7 Step Old Manuscript Review Plan, and it’s an example of the blogs I love to write. My faves are about being organized, as that’s what gets me in the …
Any writer who has gotten to the beta reader feedback stage of their writing journey knows handing your MS to others to read is a helpful part of the process. It can be essential for addressing plot issues, character flaws, confusing narratives, what works and what doesn’t, and picking up those elusive typos. It’s also …
Welcome to the July 2021 roundup! Another month has passed and once again, part of it was spent in lockdown. Victoria (where I live in Australia), had its 5th lockdown this month, and we were joined by other states, South Australia and NSW, essentially putting half of the country in lockdown. If you've been following …
While my latest work in progress is off with beta readers, I turned my attention to another manuscript, the 4th book in my YA series, Blackbirch. The last time I worked on this MS was in 2017. Since that time, the first 2 books in the series have been published (in 2o20) and the 3rd …
When it comes to crafting your characters, one important thing to include is motivation. It’s not just because motivation will get the story moving forward, but because it will also help you create well-rounded characters readers will relate to and become invested in. If that sounds like something you want to include in your book, …
Welcome to the June 2021 roundup! Well, the first half of this month was spent in our 4th lockdown, and the rest living with restrictions in place as we slowly ease out of it. Unfortunately, the same can't be said for the rest of Australia, with many other states, including my home state of NSW, …
While you might not be a writer of action-based books, chances are if there’s any type of conflict in your novel, you may have to write an action scene. I did, after starting my YA series, Blackbirch. For a book about teens with magickal abilities, there ended up being a few scenes that required me …
